Lost Redemption
by sweetestreverie
Summary: Hermione can't stand the pompous band leader Draco Malfoy, yet something about him and his mysterious ways is irking her. It was fate that brought them together, and now something evil wants to rip them apart. The answer might be closer than they think, and it's deadly. AU, OOC!
1. Green Snake

The night was icy.

Hermione Granger pulled her jacket closer to her chest, lower lip jutting out in a shaky reprieve from the warmth of the car heater she'd just left. She headed towards the slippery steps and knocked on the large oak door of her friend's door. She didn't know why she'd agreed to go to a Green Snake concert starring "the" Draco Malfoy of all places. He was not her idea of a good Friday night.

"Hey Hermione!" Violet shrieked happily. She donned a Draco Malfoy hoodie with Mardi Gras beads that had pictures of his face all over them. Hermione inwardly winced at her friend's enthusiasm.

"Hey Vi...ready to go? I wanna get an early start 'cause of traffic and everything." She shivered as she turned and watched the road as the beginning of rain began to fall. Her eyes narrowed as she thought she saw something in the distance. Shaking her head, she sighed and followed her energetic friend through the rain and into the passenger seat. She climbed into her car and began the long trek to the amphitheater.

"I forgot to tell you!" Violet shrieked. "I got a backstage pass!" She thrust it in Hermione's face. She swerved and the car in the lane next to her honked.

"Dammit Vi!" Hermione shouted and grabbed the pass from her and stuffed it in the side of her car door. "You want to get there in one piece don't you? We almost got side swiped!" She sighed, heart racing a mile a minute. They finally arrived in the allotted space and once again she had to leave the comfort for her warm car. Hermione shivered and crossed her arms across her chest tightly, shaking.

She looked up and thought she saw her friend's idol, but it was such a quick glance she couldn't be sure. From what she saw, she observed that he looked a lot harder in the face than she'd seen in the dozens of photos Violet showed her. This look she saw was intense and rough. She didn't know if it was just her eyes or the lighting, but his eyes didn't look like 'crystal water' that she'd been explained to. His eyes were so dark and black that it seemed like his pupil consumed the whole of his iris. This time, her shivering had nothing to do with the bitter cold that sliced the air like a knife.

"Okay you - come on back. Oh, and Malfoy says to bring your friend too," a guard huffed. Violet turned and beamed at her. Hermione held her hands up and shook her head, taking a few steps back.

"No, that's okay, really. Violet, this is your moment with him." She insisted. Hermione didn't know why, but the look he gave her really put her off.

"His orders," the guard grunted and took both of them to a long bus. She had to admit that the warmth of the bus was a welcome comfort. The guard took them to the door and knocked. When Draco opened it, Hermione was shocked once again.

The hard look he once had was gone and he was now the guy she'd seen in pictures. His hair was a pale blonde, styled perfectly around his blue eyes. Now that she saw them up close, she'd realized that she was envious of those eyes - her's were just a plain brown. Hermione noticed those blue eyes continually on her. That of course, made her feel uneasy. She looked at him and smiled awkwardly, shifting her friend towards him in defense.

Violet was – as she predicted – acting like a total fangirl. She was staring in awe at this amazing creature that stood before her. Hermione never mentioned it to Violet, but she never understood the lure some women had for this man. She was actually one of those people who had just assumed, do to lack of better judgment, he was gay. He wasn't ugly by any means, but Hermione didn't find him handsome either. She was taken from her reverie when his eyes were on her more. She froze and swallowed hard.

"Hello Hermione." He said in a cool, honey-like voice. She stared at him and couldn't help but find it appealing.

"Hello." She said slowly. His eyes twinkled at her, still allured by her. They all took a seat on the couch and Hermione finally began to look at her surroundings. The walls were covered in red velvet and all the furniture was black. She blinked, not expecting this from someone like Draco Malfoy. She noticed that a few posters for old horror movies lined the walls. She shuddered at the fact that his perceived public identity was so different from the one she saw.

"So tell me," he put his elbows on his knees as he leaned towards them, never taking his eyes off Hermione. "Where are you...two from?" He spared a less than enthusiastic glance at Violet, who seemed too dazed to notice. Hermione found her friend's dumbfounded act completely ridiculous and a disgrace. She rolled her eyes and looked at him, a little less intimidated.

"She's from here and I'm from there..."

"And what's...there?" He asked, an amused smile etched across his face.

"Texas." She admitted, begrudgingly. Since when did this guy have to know her life story? And why did she feel compelled to give it to him? "But I moved here to Seattle 'cause my uncle lives here."

"Why?" He asked, offering them beverages and a tray of assorted meats and cheeses. Hermione saw Draco turn his nose at them for a millisecond, as if he were disgusted to even have them near him.

"Her parents live in Texas. They are getting a divorce and Hermione didn't want to be there while they fought so her uncle offered her his house. He's the police chief of the county." Violet finally blurted, looking at Hermione for confirmation. Hermione's eyes slid over to her friend in annoyance. Of course Violet picks now to be the world's biggest chatterbox. Hermione was no longer in the mood for pleasantries.

"Yes." She grumbled, sinking into her chair.

Draco stared at both of them, bemused. "I take it you two are close then?" He held a long, pale finger between them, moving it back and forth between Violet and Hermione. Violet beamed and nodded, pulling Hermione closer.

"She's my vest best friend!"

Draco blinked. "Vest?"

Violet nodded, becoming comfortable and animated now. "It's a term we came up with. It's a compilation of best and very!"

Hermione inwardly groaned. She had no attraction whatsoever for this guy, but it was still embarrassing to be splayed to perfectly random strangers, especially this one - he rubbed her the wrong way. She crossed her arms over her chest in a protective manner, praying this strange practice of torture would be over. Draco looked amused, the laugh lines in his face creasing slightly. "We better get going." She grunted, uncrossing her arms and getting to her feet. She was annoyed with his look of complete amusement at her discomfort.

"You don't have to," he said with a stretch across his chair. Hermione caught a pale line of skin from the lifting of his shirt. She realized that Violet must've saw it too, since she felt her friend's breath literally escape her lungs.

"It's seven twenty seven and your show starts at seven thirty." She reminded him, slightly annoyed. He blew hair away from his face casually. Hermione noticed his eyes had began to get darker, almost that black shade again. She blinked at him but shook it off.

"I suppose so." He nodded. The guard began to take them away but Draco stopped Hermione. "Wait a second," he said, breath cold and sweet on her face. "I need to talk to you."

* * *

**Hermione's POV**

My feet halted at the hard ground as I felt an icy hand on my shoulder. Despite my three layers and jacket, the sheer glacial feel of it made my whole body tremor. _Wait a second_, he had said. _I need to talk to you_. My eyes widened for a brief moment as they fell onto Violet. She was already being taken to our seats by the massive bodyguard. Either she was too afraid of his size and rough tone to defy him, or she truly was oblivious. Personally? I chose the latter. My whole shoulder became numb with cold as I slowly turned around to face him again.

"You know you should really check yourself out for circulation problems." I rubbed the area of my shoulder and neck to get the blood flow back. His eyes seemed to darken even further as the corners of his mouth twitched into a small smile. I wasn't even sure if it was voluntary, the way his eyes continued to bore into the depths of me, but I had to look away from him.

"Bad circulation." He repeated, eyes still on me. I shuddered and slowly began to walk backwards. "Come," he said quickly. Before I knew it, his hands were on me again and he was leading me back to the bus. I began to panic. _What the hell? _

"No really," I answered breathlessly, spinning quickly to slide out of his grasp, but he was quicker. In one fluid, almost catlike reflex, he caught me again. My heart was racing out of control then, and by instinct I knew that he could hear it as well. His grip loosened as he swallowed and closed his eyes.

"I apologize Hermione. My mind wasn't in the right place at that moment. Please accept my apologies." He gasped, finally releasing me. I stared at him as I began to rub my upper arms. He really had grabbed me pretty hard. "Again, I'm sorry." He called out.

I merely nodded my head as I hurried into the stadium where Violet, finally not in the midst of the wonderful Draco Malfoy, was looking around confusedly for me. When our eyes met, she smiled and waved me over.

"Aren't these seats awesome? It's almost like you can see the pupils of his eyes!" She shrieked.

_Okay...didn't we just sit with him for twenty minutes on the bus?_ I smiled, hardly enthusiastic, and turned my attention to the front stage. Musical instruments were set up along the back portion, huge lights were hanging from the ceiling, swooping down and ready to shine at any given moment. I felt warmer than I had outside, so I slipped out of my jacket and second sweater, now only wearing a form fitting grey top.

The massive lights dimmed and I winced as every female around me began to scream, reaching their arms out desperately towards the empty stage - desiring, expecting. A shiver was sent straight up and down my spine as I realized Draco had the same look in his face for me.

My attention was diverted to the stage once more as Draco walked (more like strutted in my opinion) onto the stage. He greeted his fans in a loving manner, his Southern accent drawling thick. I frowned, trying to remember if his accent was always there. I hadn't noticed it before...he almost sounded like someone from an older century when he apologized to me. Had I been so pumped up on fear and adrenaline that I didn't take notice? Yes, that must've been it. As much as I disliked this man, I couldn't help but find his accent, the way he touched his dimples when he got embarrassed, or the gentle way he slipped his fingers around of the microphone stand endearing and almost...sexy?

I tried to shake this extreme feeling of revulsion, pleasure, fear, and complete nausea out of my head. As I watched him sit on a stool in the middle of the stage singing some slow ballad that made me want to listen and strangle him at the same time, I became angry. Not at myself for allowing these thoughts to skip through my head, but at him for making my head spin around in circles. The way his breath, chill as icicles, both froze and irritated me, but at the same time I didn't care. _How dare he think he can do these things to torture my very mind! _

Deciding on a whim, I knew I needed to go back to him and give him a little piece of my mind. I know most would think I'm a complete nutcase, going back to a man that nearly assaulted me, but I didn't care. I couldn't let him get away with this - not in my justified mind anyway.

Now the main problem was this - hhow in the heck was I going to get back to see him with a; Violet right beside me and b; without mister Amazon Bodyguard himself coming and giving me a free airborne ticket to Timbuktu.

I placed a finger on my chin and thought, I knew my eyes must've been sliding back and forth anxiously, since a spotlight suddenly shone on me, bright as the mid-day sun. I held my hand up to my face and blinked a few times until my eyes adjusted to the intense light. I could see the other women around me smiling, wagging their fingers at me in disapproval.

What_ the hell did I do?_ I looked forward and noticed those dark eyes staring at me again. I let out a little sigh as I watched him gracefully squat down and hop off the stage with impeccable timing. He approached me with three long strides and smiled as others squealed and made hasty attempts to touch him.

"I see we have a distracted member of the audience here," he told everyone around us. I groaned silently at his booming voice in the microphone. It didn't sound as velvety smooth, or as soft and slow as it had been when in the bus with Violet and I. The audience hemmed and hawed at me, looking delighted and grateful for making their wonderful man come closer. "Is my show not entertaining enough for you darlin'?" The last word, the most Southern one seemed forced in some way. I rose my eyes and stared into those black eyes, suddenly not afraid.

"Sorry, must have my mind on something else." I mumbled, trying to piss him off on purpose. As soon as I looked into his face, I knew it worked. His blue eyes didn't contain the serene quality they did at the beginning of the show. Now they were black with a slight hint of the blue they once were. I shivered as I realized they were smoldering. I thought I could hear him growl with disapproval and leapt on the stage again, announcing an intermission. I grinned when I realized I'd ruffled his feathers a little bit.

"I can't believe you got that close to him and you basically said that you weren't paying attention to his show!" Violet looked at me like I had performed one of the seven deadly sins. I sighed and didn't want to deal with her crazy fan girl antics now.

"I know." I said in a monotone, knowing this would calm her if I completely shamed myself to the pits of hell. "I shouldn't have done that. I guess I was so...caught up in his beauty." I forced out, feeling like the words were fire in my throat. She seemed satisfied with this and took off to get a drink or a million shirts...something like that.

I sat in my seat trying to think of a way to get past the security. My eyes floated up to the stage once more and my breath sharpened. I noticed Draco talking to someone between the long curtains that hung on either side of the stage. He never took his eyes off me as he spoke to a man that seemed to be nodding in agreement with him. His eyes now were back to the lighter, friendlier shade of blue. This perplexed me. Contacts maybe? No. I saw them change in front of my own eyes. Maybe I was hallucinating. Sure...it's not like that hasn't happened to me before.

Anyone that knows me realized I am in no way, shape, or form graceful and agile. If you want me to make it until morning, do not put me in a room with furniture. I will hurt myself and anything around me. I had two left feet...in sneakers too big for my feet...with the laces untied. Most had told me that it was an endearing quality of mine, that it belonged in the 'Hermione's Vault of Quirkiness' but of course I had to disagree. I found it to be the most annoying thing about myself. I was always the awkward girl that no one wanted to talk to - who had a lifetime of experiences but no one to share them with. I was more than lucky to have met my best friend Violet when I moved from Texas to Seattle.

I knew it was going to be a huge change, but I needed it. My parents had been fighting so much that it grew to almost be a comfort to me. So much so that if they were acting polite to one another I wanted to scream at them to fight, so I knew they wouldn't have to put on this façade of happiness.

My uncle Glenn graciously offered to let me live with him to finish out my high school education.

After this I have no idea what I'm going to do. I'm only seventeen. I think about this in two ways. The first one is yes, I'm only seventeen - I still have time to weigh my options and see what else is out there. Then on the other hand, I'm positively freaking out, thinking that I only have one year to think of what I want to do with the rest of my life before college.

I've always wanted to go to college in Washington. I love the heat and the never-endless sunshine of California, but when I visited Glenn back when I was about thirteen, I immediately fell in love with it. The quaintness of it was incredible. My thoughts were interrupted by the change of the lighting. I hadn't even noticed Violet's return with a drink and about fifty pounds of Green Snake merchandise. I grunted and tried to move my glance elsewhere. Seeing his face so close once more was making me ill.

The show droned on from that point forward. I was over him and I think he had given up on getting my attention.

Good.

All's well that ends well, right?

People began to stand and depart when Draco began introducing the band. Clearly those people held no interest for them. I turned to Violet and noticed she was still completely star struck by her idol, clutching her items tight to her chest. I sighed and was about to physically help her to her feet when there was a hard tap on my shoulder. I whirled around and noticed the same security guard that nearly steam rolled Violet away from me either was standing in front of me. Now that I had a better look at him I realized he'd also been the man Draco was talking to through the curtains. "Draco wants you backstage Miss." He said roughly.

"What? Why?" I asked, incredulously.

He merely shrugged. "Just goin' by what he told me."

I crossed my arms and stared at him defiantly. _Am I feeling really brave or really stupid at this moment?_ I couldn't decide. "What if I don't want to?"

He chuckled heartily, reminding me of Snuffy from Sesame Street. "He told me you'd be difficult." His humor seemed to disappear. "Well...he said that if you didn't he'd have to come out and fetch you himself. And trust me m'am, you don't want that. He's mighty persistent." He chuckled again, eyes twinkling.

I stared at him in confusion and a borderline disgust. How could this man smile and have twinkling eyes when thinking about this jerk called Draco Malfoy? Who did he think he was? God's gift to mankind? Well no. I wasn't going to go! Okay, maybe I was. I felt arms take me to the back as I watched Violet, who had a confused look on her face. I was led back to the black and red tour bus and taken inside. I was shivering from my lack of clothes and as I stepped into the bus, he seemed to notice it too.

His eyes gleamed happily at me in a thin cotton shirt. I shivered again and crossed my arms on my chest, giving him a death glare. "What do you want?" I nearly complained - whined. He just smiled again, a crooked one. Even I had to admit that a sight like that was pretty dazzling, even for mister pompous over here.

"Please," he offered a chair to me. "Have a seat." I was so freezing that I relented. I plopped down and rubbed my arms. "I just wanted to apologize again for my behavior earlier. It was uncalled for and I'm sure I frightened you."

Oh yeah. Most definitely NOT that Southern accent I heard on the stage just a few moments earlier. I blinked at him. "What's up with the changing of accents?"

He cleared his throat, face smooth and completely unreadable. "So...how did you like the concert?" His voice was timid; on edge. I knew he was avoiding the question I asked him. Maybe he was worried I'd blow his cover? I stared at him in confusion until I realized I was being shaken. Slow and steady movements, like tires on pavement...I spun around and looked out the windows. Sure enough, the venue that I was just safely at before was getting smaller and smaller. I turned back and looked at him, completely horrified now. Maybe if I was nice to him he wouldn't do anything? I couldn't be sure. I'd never been around someone so unreadable or unpredictable in my life.

"Where are you taking me?" I demanded, raising my fist to pound on the window. Within a second, his cold hand closed over mine and I could feel the control and force as he smiled once more.

"Don't worry Hermione. I'm taking you home. I promise. Your friend has been told that you caught up with someone and would like to stay for a bit. She is driving the car home so you and I can have a little time to chat." His smile was impenetrable. His icy breath against my flushed cheek made me pause, take a deep breath, and assess where I was at the current time. I looked into his eyes again, his long, pale fingers still clasped firmly around my wrist.

"How can I trust you?" I asked, watching for any form of deception in his eyes or face. "Everything that I've seen about you is a lie. Or just weird."

His smirk was amused. "What do you mean by that, Hermione?"

Suddenly I felt foolish. "Apparently you're supposed to have this Southern accent and you do with everyone else but me. Then your eyes do this weird...black...thing. You're freezing all the time..." I hammered off the reasons, most likely sounding like a certified nut job. He merely smiled as I felt the bus slow to a stop. We couldn't be at my house already. Draco took one long stride towards the door and opened it. I peered out in wonder at my uncle's house, porch light on and everything. I'm sure he was waiting up for me, he was a policeman and couldn't take any chances on his only niece.

"Have a nice night, Hermione, and pleasant dreams." He offered a contemptuous, smug smile as I stumbled forward and off the bus, completely baffled.

* * *

_I was walking up a long corridor, all of my senses amplified almost to the point that my eardrums were going to burst. My arms extended on either side of me as I realized I was touching both sides of the wall. Why hadn't I noticed the room was so narrow before? And why hadn't I noticed that they were covered in red velvet? My breathing escalated as I ran forward, trying to find a way out of this corridor. I didn't like being in here - something wasn't right about it. Suddenly I ran into a freezing block of ice. I screamed and looked up, terrified. Looking at me was Draco, a smile draped across his face like a blanket. I stood there, unable to move or scream, captivated by his menacing black eyes. His lips stretched over his teeth then, creating a real smile. He grabbed my shoulders and slowly began to lower his face towards me. I didn't know what he was doing, but I didn't want him to stop either. I could feel his lips brush my cheekbones, nibbling slightly on my jaw then ear. I could feel his ice cold breath in the shell of my ear, then a small growl of pleasure. A chill shot down my spine as I stood there, frozen in my place. With a fierce amount of grace, he turned me around and pressed me against the wall. And then, with a heart-stopping smile, he swooped down and bit my neck. It was only then when I remembered how to scream._

I woke up in a cold sweat. I'm pretty sure I'd been screaming but there was no way to be certain. Panting hard, I pressed a hand to my chest and felt my heart fluttering harder than a washing machine. "Oh God." I whispered to no one in particular, relieved that it'd only been a dream. Slowly sliding out of bed, I padded down across the hall to the bathroom, where I splashed my face with water. The cold linoleum felt good against my warm feet. Gripping the basin with both my hands, I took a glance into the mirror and realized I truly looked like death warmed over. The second I was about to climb into the shower, my 'friend' Kaleb came over and knocked on the door.

"Jesus Hermione," he said in surprise when I opened my bedroom door. "You look sick."

"Thank you Kaleb...what do you want right now? I'm kinda in the middle of something..." I said, showing him the wad of clothes in my hands. He looked at me and grinned dubiously.

"How about I help you with that?" He asked, eyes alight with pleasure.

I pushed past him and stepped over the threshold in the bathroom.

My relationship with Kaleb was difficult to say the least. We both really liked each other. Well, loved pretty much. I've known him since I was about two years old; our mothers were best friends, typical story if you ask me. Everyone knew were were close, so it came to no surprise to anyone when we began dating. Our relationship blossomed into a partnership last year when he moved to Seattle. As much as I love him, I've always known that having sex with him was the first mistake I'd made with Kaleb. Not that I don't enjoy it, I do, and I love knowing that I can satisfy his immediate needs so easily...but sometimes I get concerned with the idea of Kaleb only wanting me for my body. He says over and over that it isn't true, but I've been trying to wean him off me, to prove my method.

"No Kaleb." I sighed and shook my head. "Not right now."

"Awww, c'mon H," he complained and put his hands on my hips, squeezing them gently. "You know you want to."

"Did you come all the way over here to bug me for sex?" I snapped. "'Cause that sure is what it sounds like."

He ignored my comment and pressed his lips lightly against my neck. I shuddered, remembering the dream I had before he'd come. Draco's lips brushing my skin so carefully, then the bite. Kaleb grinned against me, taking my shudder as a sign of my own pleasure.

"No," he finally said. "I came over to tell you how beautiful you look. Sex with you would just be the icing on the cake." He smiled the crooked grin I'd known for as long as I could remember.

I relented. Smiling back at him, I nodded and let him gently press me against the wall of the bathroom. My anticipation grew as his rough but gentle hands caressed my collarbone and my throat. I cocked my head to the side and pressed it against the wall, letting myself get washed away with Kaleb's extreme touch. My eyes closed as I heard the gentle sucking of his mouth against my flesh, the sound of a belt buckle clacking lightly, and the zipper of Kaleb's jeans flowing downwards. His hands caressed my shoulders once more and a hand snaked down to the tie on my robe. It pulled open and fell from my shoulders onto the floor.

I could hear Kaleb's low moans of anticipation as his arms reached for me and pulled me close to him. "You're so beautiful Hermione. It almost hurts me to look at you." He whispered, running his fingertips along my spine and backside. I felt my body blush all over as I nibbled at his neck. When he finished, he beamed at me and began to get dressed. I sighed.

* * *

The days began to get shorter, the distant sounds of the children playing during the summer days soon faded away. There wasn't much difference between the seasons in Seattle I'd realized shortly after arriving there. It was either cold and rainy, or just cold period. I buttoned my parka to meet Kaleb at the bay for some studying time. Why he wanted to do it there was beyond me but I went with it anyway.

Stepping into the chill from a warm heater was never pleasant and something I don't believe I'll ever get used to. Walking along the path, I noticed a coated figure in the distance. Thinking it was Kaleb, I hurriedly walked to him. The figure spun around and I froze in my spot, inches away from him.

"Hello Hermione," Draco smiled. "Long time no see?" The tone of his voice made me realize he'd know all along that I was walking towards him. I couldn't move or breathe. I just stood there like I had in my dream - completely paralyzed.

His smile was amused as he watched me. "You know, it isn't polite to not answer someone when they are speaking to you. Am I in need of giving you a lesson in manners?"

"How...how did you find me?" I finally managed. Staring into his pale face with those dark eyes fully reminded me how dangerous this situation would get.

"I have my ways." He said simply. Draco's head turned west and he sighed. "I really should be going now, Kaleb's on his way...just beyond that tree there." He cocked his head lazily towards some shrubbery and a few trees. Sure enough, I could vaguely see Kaleb's form walking along the path. I turned back to look at him, eyebrows furrowed.

"How did you know that, who he was or his name?" I asked, feeling like I was asking the same questions over and over. In some ways, I felt like the student and he was a teacher, slowly weaving teachings into me but without realizing the profound effect they gave. I stared up at him, into those eyes and was aching for more information, begging him to give me anything...any piece that could lead me further into the investigation of him.

His lips curved into another smile. "Like I said before Hermione..." he leaned in closer. "I have my ways."

I looked away and shivered, his breath even colder than the air around us. His smile continued to glow through the low clouds that hung around the sky. He finally looked up and sighed softly, as if he were slightly troubled. "You better tell him to take you home before long. There's going to be a huge snowstorm and I don't want you to get caught in the middle of it. I don't feel like coming out here and stealing you." He winked and I admit, I almost felt my knees shake a little. "Even though I'm completely positive that you'd have a much better time with me than this Kaleb kid. He's pretty selfish...not giving you what you want, correct?"

The only way I remembered to close my mouth was the freezing air hitting my throat and making it dry. "What...how...no!" I squeaked, voice cracking. "You need to go away! Right now!" I demanded, spinning him around and trying to push him towards the parking lot where I assumed his car...or UFO was parked.

"You're quite amusing Hermione..." Draco said as he walked. He was slightly leaned back on my hands with his own shoved in the pockets of his jacket. "I might have to keep you around for a while." He spun around and I lost my balance and slammed my face into his chest.

"Ugh!" I cried and rubbed my nose. "You're like a sack of sand!"

He smiled happily once more. "You'd be surprised...very surprised." His smile faded as he held a hand to his neck, rubbing it for a brief moment. The collar of his jacket slid over and I noticed two small red dots on his neck, across from each other and perfectly lined up. His eyes met with mine and he stared at me for a brief moment, then gave a small nod. "Have a good day, Hermione." He said as he turned and slowly walked away.

I stood in the cold, eyes wide as I watched him. I didn't even budge when I felt Kaleb shake me gently. I was rooted in my place, as I always was when Draco Malfoy was around me.


	2. Bumps in the Night

I didn't know why I let Draco get under my skin so much. Just the way he always seemed so condescending toward me, like I was his pet and I'd done a cute or new trick. Kaleb asked me who the guy was talking to me but I was vague. The last thing I wanted was Violet finding out that I'd met and talked with Draco alone at a beach without her. I wouldn't hear the end of it for the rest of my life.

I should have known better than to be surprised when a massive snow storm hit since Draco had told me about it, but for some reason I was shocked that yet again, one of his predictions had come true. Then, naturally my mind began to wander. What if I was just another one of Draco's so called premonitions? Like he had a feeling he needed to be around me for...something. That first night when he took me away from Violet, I could have sworn his eyes were trying to tell me more. It was as though he purposely sought me out; I was the needle in the haystack.

As usual, it was a cold and rainy Saturday morning. My homework had been finished since last night and there was nothing to do. I made myself a bowl of cereal and plopped down in front of the computer to chat with some of my buddies back home. I enjoyed life here, but at the same time, I missed my friends like crazy.

Suddenly I felt the need to sidetrack. I thought about Draco and the strange marks on his neck. It looked like a horrible snake bite by the looks of it but...no, I just knew deep down that he wasn't bitten by an animal. It looked too gruesome and inhumane to be something of this world. I shivered and put my cereal on the desk, curling into my chair for warmth. I brought up my Internet Explorer window and gasped when I saw the front page of Yahoo.

_MASSIVE ANIMAL ATTACK THAT KILLED DOZENS HAS RETURNED._

My eyes narrowed as I scrolled down the page.

_Sources report that the rabid animal who took the lives of fifty citizens three and a half years ago is roaming the streets of Seattle once more. Police are unable to identify the species of the creature, however the bites on the victims are most similar to those of a snake or large spider. This animal has taken the lives of each human that as fallen into its path with the exception of one. There has been one known survivor of the initial attack, however the patient was treated for an hour before he or she left the hospital without authorization. We have no update on this patient or their whereabouts since the epidemic. _

_Symptoms include high fever, vomiting, shakes, hallucinations, burning sensations on the body at the slightest human touch, and in all but one case, death. Please exercise extreme caution when going around the city, the police ask that you never go alone and keep pepper spray or any kind of defensive weapon on your person. The information we have gathered is simple; this animal is extremely dangerous and should be euthanized as soon as possible. _

One survivor.

My arm jerked quickly, causing my spoon to clatter against my milk bowl and onto the wooden floor. I couldn't even find the strength to pick it up off the ground; I was just too shocked. Was Draco trying to tell me something? Did he sense my apprehension? Why did he all of a sudden itch his neck at the same time I was curious? All of these thoughts in my head triggered a long line of thinking to myself.

I was sure was sitting there for an hour, going over every single thing I'd experienced with Draco to see if there were any giveaways as to what was going on. I couldn't allow myself to dwell on this anymore. Even though my homework was finished, I wandered to my bed and pulled out my books anyway. Studying was busy work, and it soothed my frayed nerves quickly. I lifted my history book from my bag and cracked it open. The chapters began to blur together until I rubbed my eyes and looked down.

_Chapter 32: Folklore_

Vampires. I ripped my eyes away from it with a chuckle escaping my lips. Not because I thought it was funny, but it was just too unbelievable to fathom.

"No way." I snorted, still staring at the book fifteen minutes later. "Impossible. Vampires don't exist. Not in Seattle, not in the world!" Even though I told this to myself repeatedly, I began to think of Draco's extremely pale and icy skin, his abnormally graceful movements, the color of his black eyes and how they transformed back into blue like he was some sort of...

The phone in the kitchen rung and I nearly jumped out of my skin. The book went flying across the room, knocking over my lamp in the process. I clutched my chest as I tried to breathe through my nose and out my mouth - it wasn't working. I hurried over to the phone and answered it with a shaky voice. "Hello?"

"Hermione," my uncle obviously breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad you're home. Listen...I don't know if you heard the latest on this rabid animal that's lose around Seattle."

"Yeah, I just got finished reading an article on it. What do you think it is?"

I heard him sigh loudly over the phone. It was obvious that the he wished he knew. "We're not sure yet. We have some leads but this is going to be too much just for the police to handle. We're going to have to bring specialists into this, people that can possibly study this thing's habits, of what we know anyway, to see if there's a way to track it down. I just wanted to call and ask you to please not go outside the house by yourself..."

I smiled softly. "I know. That and this snow storm isn't letting up at all. Anyone would be crazy to want to go outside today."

"Good...just keep that in mind. Love you."

I hesitated. "Is..."I sighed softly. "Is it as bad as last time?"

He seemed shocked that I had known the history. It took him a moment to reply - I could tell he was worried about what to tell me.

"Just tell me the truth Bompy." I knew that I could get him to spill with the usage of his nickname. It was rotten but I needed answers. "I just want to know what I'm up aga...what to look for."

"It's worse this time. They've already have a death rate in the hundreds." He said softly. I felt the breath leave my very lungs.

I swallowed hard, scared for the safety of my uncle now, and everyone in Seattle. "Be careful," I choked out. "I...love you."

"Love you too. See ya." I hung up the phone, calmed by the voice of my overprotective uncle, glad he was still okay and not slain by some horrible monster or animal...or both.

Even when my parents were still married, I never had the father figure as much as I'd have liked to. My dad was often working and it was just me and my mom for days at a time. I remember being around eight or nine and being terrified that my Dad would be gone so long that I'd forget what he looked like.

Two days later, my father gave my mother the papers for a divorce. I blamed myself for a long time; and I guess in some ways I still do. I know that it wasn't my fault, but I wasn't really expected by either of my parents. Maybe if I had arrived a couple years down the road, things would've been different. If they had time to get to know one another before they went gallivanting into marriage because of my mother's pregnancy then maybe they would've had a more solid foundation to rest their heads on. I later found out that the reason for the divorce was not because of me, but because of my father's sexuality.

I slowly returned to my room, began to pick up my book, and gathered the broken pieces of my lamp into the trash can when there was a rap on my window. I jumped yet AGAIN and glanced over. My eyes grew as wide as saucers as I saw Draco's face smiling back at me, in that same patronizing way. I swallowed hard and came over, opening the window with much apprehension. A cold gust of wind hit me and I shivered, hurrying to close it again after he was inside.

"Thank you," he said, wiping snow off his trench coat, obviously not caring if the snow landed on my floor. "You know I was freezing out there."

"But you're always..." I began but caught myself. It was his lame version of a joke. "Oh. Well that wasn't funny was it?"

"I got you though." He unraveled his scarf and draped it over the frame of my bed. My eyes glanced at his neck. The bite had seemed to gone down a bit, but it still looked pretty gruesome. Draco looked over my room carefully, then spotted the book on the floor and picked it up, grinning brilliantly. "Doing a bit of reading I see?"

I blushed. "Well what with going on in Seattle..."

He laughed loudly this time, like a burst of air from a balloon being released. "Do you think vampires are doing this? Are they going to create an army of fairies, gnomes and witches to join them in a fight?"  
I ignored him and crouched back down and picked up the remaining shards of glass. In my annoyance with Draco, I grabbed one a bit too forcefully and cut my hand.

"Dammit," I sighed and stood up, grabbing a napkin to cover it. I could feel the room get colder, as though the window had been open this whole time. Dread filled me as I looked up and saw Draco standing up with his hands in his pockets, jaw clenched so tight I thought his teeth would be pushed back into his skull. His eyes were black as night as he stared at the picture on my wall, breathing hard.

"Clean that up, now." His voice was soft and full of authority. I snatched the napkin and ran down the hall to the bathroom and locked the door. As I ran the cold water over my wound I remembered the look on his face. Like he was seriously re...oh my God. Suddenly everything became very clear, like in those allergy commercials where one side is really hazy and the other is really crisp with vivid color.

I had a killer in my room.

HE was the one doing this to MY city, causing me to worry about my friends and family. If he was a vampire, maybe he was just thirsty for blood? He didn't care how he got it. Wouldn't he want me? Why would he tell me to clean it when he had the perfect opportunity? And surely if he did want me a door with a stupid turn lock wouldn't stop him. I swallowed hard and wrapped my hand, opening the door and going back to my room.

He remained in his place, slightly swaying impatiently as he stared at the wall. His nose twitched and he let out a small breath of...relief? I couldn't take it any more. All of these unanswered questions I had slurring around in my head was enough to make me go insane.

"What's going on?" I tried to stress that last word as much as I could without whining. "What in the hell are you? Why are you coming after me? Or all those people?"

He looked at me calmly and sat in the chair I'd vacated earlier. He crossed his leg and rested his ankle on his right knee and watched me, pursing his lips in thought. "I'd assumed all the clues I'd given you were precise in your hunt correct?"

"Clues?" I asked.

"When I spotted you at the concert I knew you were special Hermione. I knew you'd be someone I would be able to relay my secrets to. I tried to give you as many clues as I could without telling you, but I think now is the time where the clues stop, and I finish my story from my own mouth." He began softly. I had to crane my neck to even hear him. "First of all, you're wrong about one thing. I did not kill all of those people years ago, nor have I began again."

Man, and I'd been expecting him to tell me he wasn't a vampire. "But..." I began, but he held one long finger out to silence me.

"Are you someone who has a weak stomach?" He asked.

I blinked at him. Random. "No, not really."

He smiled softly. "Good. Because what I am about to tell and show you is not for the weak hearted. Please remember that." His fingers began to slide down his shirt. He was almost down to his belt buckle before I'd realized he was unbuttoning it. My face grew hot as I swallowed, eyes darting around the room. His lips curved into another smile. "Don't worry Hermione...this is merely a visual aide." He shrugged his shoulders out of the button down jacket, then proceeded to take off his four other layers. He peeled off his last thin cotton shirt and I gasped at what I saw.


	3. Bruises

His chest was just as pale as his face, however several scars and jagged now-healed cuts laced his flesh lightly. I could even make out a portion of his side where it looked as though an animal had taken a bite out of him. I turned away and closed my eyes, disgusted but sympathetic. He smiled cynically as he slipped his layers back on once more. "This was going to be my next clue if you hadn't figured it out. Maybe then I would've been able to incapacitate you with my blindingly white chest and carry you off into oblivion." He smiled sweetly, almost innocently.

I smiled softly and turned to look at him again, clothing back on. "Vi says she gets mad that you wear all those layers." I said, sounding like a child. "Is that why?"

He nodded slowly. "I've always tried to play it off as I'm very prudish and insecure, and in some ways I suppose that is true still, even after..." He smiled more genuine as he spoke, trailing off at the last portion of his words. I watched him carefully, then gasped.

"You weren't bitten by that...thing?"

Another slow, sallow nod came from him. I grabbed a pillow and sat on my floor at his feet, completely entranced. He chuckled. "I feel like Wendy in Peter Pan."

"Never mind that," I said in exasperation. "What happened?" I ached to know more about his story.

"A few years back, we were touring and I was foolishly wandering around in the lot without Crab and Goyle," he opened his mouth to speak again but I gave him a quizzical look. "They are my bodyguards. Not much they could have done against this thing however. Anyway, I was walking along a line of thick hedging when I heard some sort of growl come from the bushes. I tried backing away, but I felt this sensation that dragged me towards the noise, like a rope around my waist that was pulling me in. I shouted and fought, but nothing seemed to be working. Suddenly I felt something caress my neck, like whiskers or something. It was completely dark behind that hedge and I couldn't see a thing. The harder I struggled, the more intense the growling became and the tighter it's grip was around me. I felt something bite into my neck and I screamed so loud nothing had come out. Then I felt its paws all over me, ripping me to shreds...surely to kill me. By the time the venom hit...I couldn't feel the wounds any longer. It was like I'd been doused in a numbing solution. It's the strangest thing to lay on the ground and to literally see your heart beat before your eyes."

I grimaced. "So...what happened? I read on the article that there had been one survivor...but you - they, left before they could diagnose you."

He scoffed. "Survivor indeed. They are just saying that to make people have a glimmer of hope. When in contact with these things, it's hard to tell if you'll live or die. I did go to the hospital, but was worried I'd be put into an institution and never sing again, so I fled. At first, I thought maybe it was an animal escaped from the zoo or somewhere, its growl was almost matched with a purr however it was easily the size of a lion. I've done some researching myself," he smiled and touched my nose with his finger. I frowned and turned my head away.

"And I have reason to believe that another vampire was on the lose three years ago. I believe they are drinking the blood of animals and turning them into monsters. House cats into lions, dogs into raging beasts. Vampire venom is obviously potent, but it depends on the dosage one must give to another. Vampires are known for their desire to breed themselves, to slowly turn the world into one of us. Animals have no such premeditated goals. They kill for nourishment. Why would vampires want to kill humans when they could turn them into their kind, to help with complete genocide? It must be an animal roaming these streets. It's also possible that it's the same one that attacked me." He sighed, troubled.

"So wait- you're saying that animals can be vampires? I thought it was a human only thing?"

His look was serious. "Much more dangerous than a vampire, Hermione. Much much worse. Vampires were once human, so they can communicate and some, such as myself, do have some human instinct left in them. Animals will continue with their philosophies of life, kill or be killed, thus making them far harder to defeat. I assumed that this creature who bit me wasn't looking to turn me into a vampire, it was merely trying to find its next meal. You see, we carry our venom in our teeth. Think of it like an empty glass with a pitcher of water with tiny holes in the bottom of it. As time passes, the glass gets filled with water. Once it is full, we have the desire for blood and we go out to feast. After biting that one person, our venom empties into their veins and the process begins again, to refill our supply." I could tell he was speaking slowly so I could comprehend, and I was. More so than maybe he realized. "Once I found this information out, I realized that this creature had probably a few victims before me, thus his venom was not strong enough to kill me, since venom becomes more potent with time, just like wine, but enough to turn me into what I am today." He said harshly, his fists bunching on his lap.

"Well thank God he didn't kill you." I breathed.

His smile was distant now, I could tell his eyes were sad. "I wish he would have, Hermione. Nothing is worse than being a monster like this."

We sat in silence. "So you're not like incredibly crazy strong, melt in the light and can turn into random household objects at will, right?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood. He laughed and shook his head.

"No. I am not incredibly crazy strong, I do not melt in the sun, obviously and I cannot turn into anything. Leave that to the witches."

My eyes widened.

"Before you go on a whole other tirade, there are no witches around here." He assured me. I felt stupid for being relieved over this. Who in the hell would believe me? Most of all who would have thought wild vampire animals and people roamed the earth? I couldn't seem to wrap my head around all of this.

"It is a lot of information for one day, I think I'll be on my way." He stood and I grabbed his hand.

"Not yet," I blurted. "Stay."

He took a seat back where he was and looked at me. I bit my lip, wondering if I should assault him with my questions all at once or give them to him a day at a time...if I even saw him that often. He chuckled. "I'm sure you have questions."

I was caught off guard. "Wait...can you like know what's inside my head? Like a mind reader?"

"No," he shook his head. "Your expression and lip biting gave it away. Vampires aren't superheroes Hermione, and for the record before you begin the twenty questions game, no, we cannot fly, we aren't able to read minds, we don't hang around in caves or coffins, we are in no way related to Dracula, and our homage place is definitely not Transylvania. Oh, and we are not able to reproduce...that I know of. We can only bite to create new vampires. I know that is a common misconception with you kind, including myself so don't feel bad."

My hands opened and closed for a minute. "That must suck."

"What?" He asked.

"Not being able to reproduce." I sighed. "Isn't that important?"

Draco laughed, his eyes were now a very lovely shade of blue. "Turn up those ears, Hermione. I said that I knew of. I still haven't been able to track down a vampire that is biologically created by two others, our genes are obviously not of the human kind, thus all of those kinds of rules do not apply to us. I did not say that there was not a way to satisfy ourselves..."

"What? Like a vampire...orgy?!"

"You are more twisted than I thought! Dear Lord," he groaned. I could hear the faint sound of some kind of Southern accent in there. "No no no, we can still have intimate relationships with partners, however it is extremely frowned apon. Something that intense requires a lot of attention and control from the vampire in question, if his or her partner is human. There is a chance they would be bitten in the process, since intercourse is such a powerful rush."

"Oh. Well how can you kiss? If your teeth are full of venom?" I blinked.

"We aren't penetrating the skin when kissing. We have to physically bite them for the poison to be transferred."

I nodded and decided to stay away from the more intimate questions. "So...why are you so cold?"

"I no longer have blood running within me, Hermione. I'm unable to feel the warmth of blood in my veins any longer. My heart is now pumping pure venom." He said, grabbing my hand and putting it against his chest. There was still a heartbeat there, however faint it might've felt. I closed my eyes and didn't imagine my hand against a vampire, I felt as though he was just a really cold human being. It fluttered once and I pulled away, startled.

Draco laughed softly. "I apologize, it's been doing that a lot lately, with you around. It can't seem to help itself."

I smiled and blushed slightly, pink flowing into my cheeks. "Are you...immortal?"

He shook his head once again. "It is pretty simple really. Either you get bitten and you age extremely fast, such as every few weeks you age ten to fifteen years, or, you age like normal humans do, or you age extremely slow. I am pretty sure it is about a year for every ten years. I am assuming that is what I am, seeing as I did not perish a few years back though I'm certainly not aging normally, I can feel it within me. I've had to adjust my physical appearance many times to make myself seem older than I really am. When you are first bitten, your hair turns black as tar. Then it slowly begins to fade out."

I suddenly remembered a night with Violet and we were watching one of Green Snake's televised concerts. Draco walked out on stage and Violet nearly had a heart attack at Draco's new hairstyle. "So that televised thing that my friend freaked out about your black hair..."

He scowled a laugh. "Unfortunately, yes. I hated how dark it was at that point but I didn't have a choice. It had only been a couple months since the attack and it hadn't faded yet."

"Did you want to...bite anyone?"

He contemplated this. "I was considering it, yes. However most of the girls were too skinny so I thought why waste my time?"

I couldn't hide my smile.

* * *

"Now that I've splayed my born again history with you, how about you share something with me?" Draco asked, now lying on my bed. I was perched on the windowsill, trying to soak in the last bit of sun before the day ended. It'd been two days since my first real encounter with Draco and I often found that when he wasn't with me, I felt sort of hallow. I ached to know about his journeys, even before his vampire life had taken over. I'd always wanted to travel instead of being stuck between two places so hearing his stories gave me a sort of fulfillment.

"What do you want to know?" I asked. "My life isn't nearly as extraordinary as yours, I can tell you that right now." I chuckled and sat a little straighter.

"I think the exact opposite." He said, tracing the pattern of the quilt on my bed. "I've come to find even the simplest of human tasks fascinating. Like eating."

I blinked. "Eating? You can't eat?!"

"Oh no, I can eat, but everything tastes absolutely disgusting compared to blood." Even though he was the most human vampire I'd ever met, I could see the glint in his eye when he talked about feeding. I shuttered and winced.

"I hate the smell of blood. I don't know why but it smells like pennies. I hate the smell of pennies and I hate the smell of Spaghettios and franks. Those smell like vomit."

He laughed, amused. "Oh? Well before I preferred flesh, I wouldn't mind having a can of Spaghettios every now and then."

Turning so my legs dangled slightly above the floor and smiled. "I guess when you live with a guy who isn't married, no kids, no girlfriend and a job that he's always at, Spaghettios is a main food staple. I prefer the Alphabet ones myself...I'm not much of a cook." I conceded. "My uncle can cook better than me - he says he learned when he was in the service but I know he watches Food Network in his bedroom."

"Tell me more about you Hermione. Not your uncle, about _you_." He plastered his amazing grin and I was glad I was sitting down. I'd probably be slamming my butt into the planks of the floors by now had I been vertical.

"Er, okay...I was born in Te-" I began but he cut me off, looking a little irritated.

"No no no. I don't want to hear your life like it was on the Biography channel. I want to hear your experiences if you were in a creative writing class. I don't want to know what everyone could know; tell me something personal." He coached, eyes burning with intensity. I shivered and thought for a second.

"You...have to give me a question Draco. I can't think of anything offhand at this moment."

He seemed to sense my distress and rose his eyes to the ceiling in thought. "How about the best and worst experiences of your life? That's a catch all question."

My lip felt raw, I'd been biting it for what seemed like hours. "I don't think I have a worst moment in my life yet...that I can remember. I think of all experiences as like...stepping stones I guess. They always seem to line up in a straight direction for me. But if I had to choose," I said quickly, noticing Draco's expression, "it'd have to be when I found out my father was gay and my parents telling me about the divorce. I'm not mad at my dad for becoming what he is, but it was kind of a shock. He told me that he always had a feeling in his heart that he liked guys, but he wasn't sure. Once he found my mom, I guess he wanted to experiment and I was the outcome of that. My mom is still pretty bitter about it. I just feel torn." I sighed heavily, not bothering to take a glance at the expression on his face this time. "I haven't seen him in about seven months, he hasn't tried to contact me or anything, so maybe he's trying to forget his straight life ever happened." I continued speaking to end on a lighter tone. "But it turned into a good thing because I moved in with my uncle who's like a real dad to me, and I've met some really great friends."

"Including Kaleb Wood?" He asked, a slight scowl on his face.

"Kaleb's a good guy," I said slowly, slightly defensive. Even if he was acting like a bit of a jerk right now, he had always loved me, and was always there for me when I needed him.

"He's nothing Hermione." Draco's voice had a scary edge to it. I swallowed hard. "He isn't good for you. You deserve the world."

He said this like he were reading facts out of a history book. I finally pulled myself off the window and took a seat at my desk.

"I really should be getting on my homework." I insisted, usually it would have been done, proof-read and laminated. I quickly glanced over and saw his face. His expression wasn't hard anymore, I could tell he was just as happy to not discuss Kaleb as I was. I heard the bed barely creak before he was next to me, peering over my shoulder at my science assignment. His eyes grew intense as he studied it, and I studied him. He suddenly pointed at the paper.

"That one is water and that one is sulfur." He said airily. I managed to look at my paper and sure enough, he was right.

"How did you do that?" I demanded. "My book wasn't even open."

He smiled at me, eyes shining. "You have to remember Hermione...I'm older than you. And I was a teacher in my past life." Past life. He said it as if it were millions of years ago. Maybe he could be happier in this vampire body if I helped him. Surely his life wouldn't be excellent, but maybe it could be better than what it was right now. He suddenly faltered and sighed.

"What?" I asked.

"I must leave you now." He picked up his jacket.

My heart plummeted. "Why?"

He wrapped his scarf around his neck. I knew that he didn't need it, but this whole dress was nothing more than a show. He'd be happy in shorts and a t-shirt in this weather. "It's time for me to...have my fill. I must go before you look more delicious than you already do." He gave me a wink as he opened my door.

"I want to come!" I insisted, slapping my pencil down on the paper.

Draco looked horror struck. "No."

"Why not?" I asked impatiently.

"Because it's far too dangerous for you to be around me when I feed Hermione. You must listen to me now. Once I feed, it's hard to control my human instincts. Even if you and I had a closer bond than we do it is not wise to come with me. You may be hurt or killed or..." He seemed unable to even fathom this idea. "Changed."

I sighed and looked at the floor. He came over and tilted my chin to meet his eyes. They were kind and warm, so unlike what I'd assumed a vampire's to be. I wouldn't have believe it was true had those two scars on his neck weren't visible. "Please know that I'm doing this for your safety, Hermione. It would be wonderful to have the company in the long journey I have ahead of me, but it is not worth the torment I'd have to live with if something happened to you."

Knowing this was a lost cause, I nodded and smiled shakily. He returned the greeting as he stood in the doorway. "I'll be back by nightfall tomorrow. Would you like me to visit you?"

I nodded eagerly.

"It's settled then. Tomorrow. Leave your window unlocked." He smiled and with a turn of his heel, he was gone. I plopped down onto my chair and sighed, blowing hair out of my face. I had no idea what I was going to do for the next twenty four hours, but I decided that homework would be a pretty good start. I absorbed myself in the work, and it soothed my hurt feelings towards Draco. I felt a tap on my shoulder and I jumped, breaking the lead of my pencil. Half hoping to see Draco, I turned around and saw Kaleb smiling at me.

"Hey!" He said cheerfully.

I sighed and held my chest. "How did you come in so quietly? I hate when you do that."

"I said hi to you like four times but you didn't answer, then finally I just touched you and you shot up like a bat out of hell!" He laughed.

Bat...vampires. I sighed wistfully and looked out the window. A couple hours must have passed since Draco's visit and I hadn't even realized. "I was wondering if you wanted to hang out and watch a movie or something?" Kaleb asked, flopping on my bed. I spun around in my chair and looked at him. The vision wasn't nearly as wonderful as it was when Draco had been on the bed earlier.

"Sure." I nodded and rose from the chair, going to my door. I could hear him get off the bed and clunk down the stairs behind me, not nearly as quiet as Draco's had been. _Stop it_, I told myself as we walked into the vacant living room. _It would be impossible for something to happen between you and Draco. Why are you even thinking such things? He's not a human anymore, you still are. Don't sacrifice a life you already have because you feel sorry for him. You'd be stepping into Mom's shoes all over again._

My uncle would be home from work soon, maybe he'd make Kaleb's visit a little short. I hated thinking this way, so consumed with another person as Kaleb turned on some horror movie and pulled me into his arms. He really was a good guy, and I was happy to have him. Kaleb was one of the few people I trusted with my life, I knew that even though he'd be arrogant as all hell on that horse, but he'd be wearing shining armor and come rescue me at the end of the day. I smiled softly at this thought and closed my eyes, breathing in his cologne and the gentle rhythm of his heartbeat. His warm fingers danced around my skin, such a different feeling from when Draco touched me. They wandered to my collar bone, then my chest, stopping there - stroking. Suddenly I didn't want him touching me there, it felt rude and uncomfortable.

"Please Kaleb, not tonight." I sighed, trying to brush away. He grinned and ignored me, kissing up my neck to my ears. "Kaleb!" I sighed loudly, wiggling away from him. His arms stayed fastened around me.

"Come on honey, we need to loosen up a bit tonight. You seem to tense!" He insisted, looking at me with big eyes. Normally I would have given in, but Draco's face somehow wounded up in my head. "We can have some fun right here on the couch...we haven't done that before...or by the fireplace." He suggested, pulling me in again.

I made a pathetic attempt to get him off me, but it didn't work. He was much to strong, too enraged with passion to notice my struggling against him. He kissed me hard on the mouth when I heard the door open. Kaleb quickly straightened up and pulled me off him as my uncle stepped through the door. He must've noticed my flushed face.

"What's going on in here?" He asked, taking his policeman's belt, making sure Kaleb saw the gun holster I'm sure, and put it on the front entryway table.

"Nothing sir," Kaleb smiled. "Just watched an scary movie and Hermione freaked out."

_Freaked out?_

I sighed and got up from my spot on the couch. "I'm going to bed." I said hoarsely. "I think you should go home Kaleb." With that, I turned and went up the stairs to my room where I crawled into bed and cried softly. I'd been one of the lucky ones thus far, not have to go through the beginnings of what looked like a forced...something. I didn't even want to mention the word. That would just make it too real; too final.

I clutched the edge of my pillow in my fist, crying into it. The cool fabric underneath my cheek was a comfort to me as I closed my eyes, praying that sleep would come my way. I stared at the wooden wall in front of me, I loved how my uncle had planned his house, we were pretty deep into the woods, no people to bother us. He'd planned the whole home to look like a log cabin, with large brown pieces of wood into the bedrooms, making it feel like you were in a quaint little treehouse when on the second floor.

When I was a little girl, I always imagined Little Red Riding Hood or Sleeping Beauty lived with my uncle in this cabin, keeping him safe. Now that I realized how alone he truly was, those fairytale like dreams seemed silly. But then again, I did know a vampire. Maybe I shouldn't keep all of my dreams under lock and key after all. I closed my eyes, watching the faint shadows of the trees move silently along the wall, moonlight filtering in my room and listened to the soft but comforting bustle of my uncle below me.


	4. Conqured

**Note: **Thank you so much for the chapter reviews so far, I'm glad you're enjoying this story! I have really enjoyed writing it and coming up with ideas for it. Every review makes me so happy and excited to continue. Thanks again!

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_The room was dark and warm, I couldn't see the hand in front of my face. My breathing began to grow rapid as I looked around frantically, trying to find a glimmer of hope, an ounce of survival anywhere around me. I heard a loud growl that peaked my interest. Whimpering, I edged myself along the wall as it was the only solid thing I could feel behind me. I pressed myself as hard as I could against the back of it, sliding my arms at my sides in hope of finding some kind of doorknob. Beads of sweat fell down my face and burned my eyes as I groped. I could feel my very own heart beating faster than a drum, inhaling and exhaling deep lungfuls of the warm, humid air. At last, I saw a tiny flicker of light ahead. Suddenly I didn't care about my own danger anymore. I felt the extreme urge to run towards that light, to bask in its incredible warmth and security. I pulled myself away from the wall and began to pump my legs and arms in the fastest run I could imagine. As I became closer to that light, I realized it wasn't a light at all. Draco was standing in the doorway, ushering me behind him. I felt myself grasp onto the back of his jacket as his arms shot in front of him. He crouched slightly as if ready for battle. I could hear the heavy footsteps of the animal approaching us, a lion, I'd realized, with eyes black as night and sharp fangs leaking venom. Draco growled angrily and hissed at the creature. Suddenly, it walked into the light, face dissolving into a human's. Into Kaleb's._

* * *

I woke up in a sweaty mess of blankets, screaming my head off. My uncle charged into the room frantically. "What?! What's wrong?!" He asked, turning his incredulous gaze to me.

I sat up in bed, panting and dripping with sweat despite the rain that I saw lacing the windows. We watched each other for a few moments before my breathing slowed and I could relax.

"Sorry bad dream. What time is it?" I asked, getting out of bed. "Shouldn't you be at work?"

He took my shoulders and pushed me back into bed. "It's about three in the afternoon Hermione...you've been sleeping all morning and complaining of a fever. I'm staying home with you to make sure it's nothing serious." He said softly. By the look in his face I could tell that by serious he meant being bitten by a certain animal. My thoughts were jumbled and my head felt heavy. I flopped back on the pillows. If I'd been so sick wouldn't I have remembered this? I hated throwing up...why would it seem so distant and fuzzy?

"Get some rest now Hermione," my uncle smiled and patted my clammy hand. "I'll be up to check on you later." He rose from the edge of my bed and left the room.

I groaned and put my hand over my eyes. _Three in the afternoon_? The whole day was wasted. I heard a tapping at my window and opened my eyes. Draco's smile slowly changed into concern - his eyebrows furrowed together and eyes intense. I stumbled to my feet, the sudden blood loss in my head caused me to go to the window in complete disarray. I managed to open it as he climbed in with an insane amount of agility, even managing to catch me in his arms as I fumbled towards the left.

"What happened?" He asked.

"I...don't know." I shivered. "Last night I was with Kaleb and the next thing I know I'm apparently sicker than a dog."

Draco's face hardened. "What do you mean..sick?" For once his expression was completely readable.

I eyed him and put my hands on my hips. "No, it's not _that_ type of sickness if that's what you're thinking.

He chuckled. "Feisty, even on her death bed." He put a hand to my forehead and I closed my eyes. His cold hand felt wonderful on my flushed skin. "So you were with Kaleb last night?" He pulled his hand away.

"Yeah," I mumbled, then remembered what happened. I sighed and buried in my blankets. "I don't want to see him anymore."

"Why?" Draco asked suddenly without pretense.

My eyes got watery as I swallowed. Draco's concern returned. "Hermione? What happened?" He crouched down and took my hand. "There's just some things we don't agree on." I tried, hoping that would be enough for him. It wasn't.

His jaw tightened as his eyes grew intense. "What. Happened?"

I sighed. "He was just a little forceful that's all. I don't think he heard me when I told him to stop. I wanted him to but he didn't. My uncle came home in time and he stopped then. I...don't know what would've happened..."

Before I could finish gathering my thoughts, Draco flew from his crouching position, a murderous look in his eyes. His hands gripped his hips and his jaw clenched as he paced. "I'll kill him. I'll rip his throat out. How dare he take advantage of you like that! He isn't going to get away with this Hermione, I'm not going to let him." I'd never seen him more outraged.

"Calm down Draco..." I tried. His eyes fell on me. "I don't want you to hurt him. That'll raise more questions about this...animal thing going on. Please just don't do anything. I don't want to see him anymore, that's enough for right now."

"Hermione he tried to rape you!" Draco cried.

I winced at the word. "I know. And maybe we can do something about that later but right now just calm down and come sit by me. Please."

His eyes darted back and forth in contemplation and finally came over to me and took my hand. "Lay down and rest then." He sighed and stroked my fingers. "I am with you now."

With that, he began his lullaby.

* * *

"Please...Hermione, I'm so sorry." Kaleb was by my locker as I stuffed books into it. I still was feeling like crap but I couldn't let my studies get too far ahead of me. So I came, and faced a new form of torment by the name of Kaleb. He didn't seem to know how to leave me alone.

"I'm not interested Kaleb. Leave me be." I said softly, keeping my eyes straight ahead as I walked to my next class, feeling tired and dizzy. "What's done is done, I don't want to be with you anymore and you obviously don't respect me enough to be what I need so please, let's just leave it at that and move on with our lives."

He followed along beside me, not saying anything. "I know I'm a complete jerk-"

"Worse than that," I muttered, not being able to help myself.

"Okay, worse. But we've known each other for almost fifteen years now? I know we haven't been in the same state all that time but we always talked. I told you I was so sorry for what happened and I really am. I wish I hadn't let it get that far. But Hermione, I love you so much and I'm so happy you're there for me that I just kind of let it all spill out. I swear I won't lay my hands on you again...but please don't throw away a friendship over this."

"You almost raped me Kaleb." I said softly, looking around the room to see if anyone was listening. "I can't just forget that ever happened."

"I'm not asking you to. But it wasn't rape Hermione, I just didn't hear you."

This infuriated me. I turned to him and glared. "That's a bunch of bull and you know it Kaleb. I was almost crying and trying to push you off. You must've been damn near blind and deaf if you didn't see that."

"I didn't!" He begged.

I rolled my eyes. "It's funny how guys don't know how to register the words don't and stop unless they're next to each other." I said harshly. I felt like I was going to throw up again and sweat ran down my back. I gathered the books I'd just put down and stormed out of the classroom, blinded by tears and hatred.

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Draco asked me as he opened the creaking wooden door to my bedroom. I smiled at him, pleased to see his presence with me again. It'd been a long two days since the encounter with Kaleb, and now seeing Draco here was a reminder that it was behind me now, at least for the day. My uncle hadn't allowed visitors, and even though Draco was complaining and challenging me to ask him to allow it, he did stay away. I'd secretly wished he'd come anyway.

"Doing a little better thanks," I noticed he was holding a travel mug in his hand. "What's that filled with? I thought you couldn't drink coffee?"

The smile on his pale face was amused. "Since when did you know I couldn't drink coffee?"

My flushed cheeks suddenly felt warmer. "Well...I couldn't sleep last night so I decided to do a little reading." I patted my laptop on the bed next to me. "I told Vi I fell for you at the concert and she all too happily gave me the links to her favorite websites, including one that has naughty stories with you involved." I grinned, shocked that I was being so brave in his presence.

I'm a hundred percent sure that if Draco wasn't a vampire, he'd be blushing. "I haven't read those."

"Of course not," I closed the lid of my laptop and stretched. "A man with such poise and finesse such as yourself."

"Moving on," he said slowly and approached my bed, taking a seat in the small wooden chair that my uncle had sat in before he left for work. "In answer to your question, I can drink coffee now, since you know...being immortal does that to you. But no, this isn't coffee..." He said, looking at the cup and seemed hesitant.

"What is it then?" I asked, completely confused.

"Welllll," he drew out the last portion of the word, possibly to have a little time to decide if he would tell me or not. "It's blood." He conceded, sighing.

I gasped. "Seriously? In a coffee mug?!"

He smiled nervously, edging away from me in case I threw up or something. "Freshly percolated..."

"Who did you...? What?!"

"Don't worry," he waved his hand as if dismissing this as unimportant. "It's animal blood. Not as sweet or fragrant as human blood but it cuts back on the cravings."

I put my head in my hands and groaned, praying to God that I didn't get a whiff of it as he took a sip. His slight slurping noise nearly sent me over the edge. "And I thought there'd be nothing wrong with hanging out with a vampire. God, it's like you're one of those people on the Nicorette commercials." I sighed shakily as his laugh boomed in the room. "Do they have a plasma patch?"

"Okay okay you big baby, I'll finish it outside." He grinned and shook his head before he got up and left the room with that dreaded cup and closed the door behind him. I smiled shakily, glad it was out of my sight and leaned back against my pillows, closing my eyes. It'd been a wonderful long weekend I supposed, but now I really was behind in school. Violet had to work so she couldn't bring by any homework and Kaleb...obviously hadn't contacted me since the incident. I would just have to suck it up and spend a whole night finishing it.

Draco returned a few moments later and didn't have the cup with him. I was thankful for that. "Are you happy now?" He grinned and took a seat by me again. I nodded and yawned, growing tired of being up this long. He smiled sweetly at me and took my hand in his. "Take a nap Hermione...I'll be here when you wake."

I closed my eyes without protest. I was just about to fall into sleep when there was a knocking at my door. I jumped and Draco leapt to his feet, rolling under my bed. "Come in," I said, not realizing how weak my voice sounded after fighting sleep. My uncle, another police officer and Kaleb's mother stepped into my room. I frowned and looked at their faces. Kaleb's mother's eyes were red and it looked as though she'd been crying. "What's going on?" I asked.

"Hermione," my uncle said softly, coming over to me. "I need you to think back to the last time you saw Kaleb. Do you know if he talked about running away or anything?"

I frowned. "No? Why, is something wrong?"

"We haven't seen Kaleb since the last day he was with you," his mother said nasally. Her voice sounded sharp, like she suspected I had something to do with this. "He told me he was going over to your house and he never came home."

"Your uncle said that when he came home, you looked frightened, Hermione." The officer beside my uncle pressed. "Said that you seemed a little out of sorts. Did you and Kaleb have a fight?"

I felt trapped. I didn't want to lie to these people but I didn't want my uncle to find out I'd been doing things in his house either. "Nno," I said shakily. "We were just watching a scary movie when my uncle walked in. It wasn't anyth-"

"He said that he saw Kaleb's hand in your shirt," he said again, talking a step towards my bed. I could've sworn I heard a soft hiss from underneath my bed. "If something happened between you and Kaleb Hermione, we need to know."

"My son is a good boy," June spoke stiffly, glaring at me. "He'd never do a thing like this if someone said no!" Another growl issued from under the bed. I was about to sit hard on the bed to try and shut him up but my uncle stepped forward.

"You've known Hermione for just as long, June." He spoke slowly and evenly. "And I think we can both agree that Hermione wouldn't just say those things. There has to be a misunderstanding and I'm sure things will work out. He's a teenager, his hormones are out of whack. Maybe he's staying with a friend? Who knows?"

"And what would you know about raising children, Glen?" June snapped. I frowned and stood up.

"Don't talk to him like that in his house." I said shakily. "He's done a great job so far! Look who's kid is missing? Not me!"

"Hermione, but now isn't the time..."

"No," I sniffed, hiccuping. "It's true, he did force himself onto me. I probably egged him on with previous times but he still should know that when I say no, it means no. He...started touching me and I didn't like it. I asked him to stop but he wouldn't. Then before he started to get really violent with me my uncle came home. He isn't your sweet little boy June. He's dangerous." I was crying by then, wishing I wasn't but I didn't think I had much of a choice. Even after three days it was still so fresh in my mind...how close I could have gotten to violation.

The police officer with my father had a small yellow tablet and a pen writing down what I'd just said, as if it were that easy to forget, I know I wouldn't for the rest of my life. Suddenly his phone rang. He flipped it open. "Sergeant Burroughs." He said with a grunt. His eyes fell over to June, then to me. "We'll be right there." He hung up and edged closer to June. "They found Kaleb's body in the river about fifteen miles from here. They said he must have been dead for a couple days, bled to death from a large gash in his neck."

I felt light on my feet. I felt like one of those people in the movies when they are standing still, but the world is blurring faster than light around them. Puncture wound to the neck...bled to death...Draco's mug. My eyes rolled to the back of my head as I began to fall, Glenn's arms closed around me. In the distance I could hear June's hysterical screams and accusations as I drifted off into unconsciousness.

* * *

I could feel the blood pulsing in my ears as I tried to open my eyes, looking around the room sluggishly. The curtains were drawn but the room still felt too bright. I moaned softly and tried lifting my head but it was too much work. Could it have all just been a horrible nightmare? No, my body felt too weak for it to have just been a dream - I could feel myself begin to shake with unshed tears. Kaleb dead? Draco, as gentle as he was, a killer? It didn't match up. At least that's what I told myself. I didn't want to view those gentle eyes staring into Kaleb's before he took his last breath. I shuddered and opened my eyes fully and saw him sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, staring out the window. Rage suddenly filled every fiber of my heart.

"Where's my uncle?" I asked, though it sounded more like a statement. His eyes looked up hopefully but he remained in his seat.

"Asleep. It's been a long day." He said casually, as if he were just telling me the weather.

"What have you done?!" I cried, getting out of bed and charging at him. "Do you even realize what you've caused?!"

His eyes were green and calm as he looked at me. "He hurt you. He doesn't deserve that satisfaction anymore Hermione. So I took care of it."

"He deserved to be punished but not KILLED Draco! He was only seventeen years old!" I screamed. "Yes Kaleb hurt me and I still feel bad about it and that I probably led him on but you killed him! You ass, you killed him and drank his blood in my room! You lied to me, you told me it was from an animal! How could you? I don't think you realize what this is going to mean for me. I'm going to have to leave and go back to California...talk spreads fast around here and now I'm the prime suspect in his murder! There were students in our class that had to have heard me yelling!"

His eyes grew darker as he stared at me, jaw clenched. "You were going to let him get away with this. You were going to give him the pleasure of being able to look at your beautiful face every day! No! I wasn't going to stand for that Hermione. I wasn't going to let him have the privilege to take another breath of air. I'm too invested in you now, and I'm not giving up."

"You're not my parent Draco! I don't need you to babysit me! I can take care of myself!"

He pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. "Hermione. Please listen to me when I tell you this. I am not trying to hurt you, it wasn't my intention. But someone like myself just couldn't let him do that to you and get away with it. I. Just. Can't. Please believe me, he wasn't this charming guy that you speak of. He'd done it to other girls Hermione. Younger girls. Girls who didn't have their uncles to save them at the very last minute. He made sure he charmed them into believing it was an accident." He looked pained to tell me this, but looking into his eyes, I knew it was true.

My mouth fell open as I stared at the lines in the wooden floorboards below me, trying to make sense of all this. He slid off his chair and pulled me into his arms, cradling my head against his chest.

"I didn't want to have to tell you like this but I had a feeling it'd be the only way for you to listen. He's not a good boy. Now he's where he belongs were he can't hurt anyone anymore."

I looked out my window, realizing that it was nightfall. In my extreme yelling and anger, I hadn't remembered that I slept the remainder of the day. As I looked again, I finally saw the first clear night since the concert. One month. Suddenly I ripped away from him. "I want to see where you did it."

"Hermione..." he said softly, eyes reluctant. "I don't think -"

"I don't care." I said stubbornly, getting to my feet and putting on the heaviest winter jacket I'd owned. I slipped into my rain boots and waited expectantly. He sighed and rose to his feet, approaching me.

"We're only staying a few minutes. It's freezing and you're still sick." He took my arm and guided me out the door quietly. He walked past the drive and a few blocks down was a large black SUV. He opened the door for me and I slid in, noticing the severe fanciness of this car. Every expensive gadget you could imagine was right in his reach.

Draco climbed in and started the engine. It purred silently and zoomed away from the curb the second Draco put it into drive.

"Welcome to the Batmobile." He turned and offered me a small smile._ A truce. _

I smiled back softly, looking out the window at the dark trees passing by in the distance. I begin to shiver as the cold night filled the car. Draco reluctantly turned on the heater and I smiled gratefully at him. We went off the road and into a thicket of trees alongside a river. He stopped the car and parked, sighing softly. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

I nodded and was already climbing out of the car. I walked slowly towards the river as Draco took my elbow and turned me around, pointing to a place with police tape was wrapped around four trees making an oddly shaped square. My breath caught in my throat as I began to edge my way towards the crime scene. It was hard to see it, but even harder to remember Kaleb the way I always did, before the night of the incident, with his dark red hair, slightly highlighted from the sun, piercing blue eyes and an infectious laugh. I couldn't believe he was dead now. I wondered if he'd felt any pain. I wanted to ask Draco but he wasn't next to me. I'm sure he sensed that I needed space to think. I wiped my eyes and looked up, freezing in my spot. Someone from across the river was looking at me through the shadows.

* * *

My skin felt unbearably hot, I ached to take off my jacket and sweater but I couldn't move. My eyes locked with the eyes in front of me, dark and unfriendly, so different than Draco's eyes. I wiped the sweat from my brow and swallowed despite my mouth being dry as a cotton ball. I stumbled backwards as I tried to get away from the eyes that seemed to continuously creep forward at me.

_Don't call him_, a voice, smooth and cold filled my ears. I looked around for the owner but could see no one. I whimpered and turned my gaze back towards the direction of Draco's SUV. I was so far away from him now that I could barely make out the form of him. I thought about calling to him but I was too paralyzed by fear to object. I was so far into the trees that there'd be no possible way for him to see me. My hair flew around my face as the heavy winds started up. I tripped over a rock and fell hard on my back, wincing and arching against a fallen tree. I noticed a soft blanket of fog beginning to edge itself sinuously forward, hugging the ground to get into every crevice it could.

_Come_, the voice whispered again, a little more urgently. It filled all my senses to the brim, as though it were speaking through my thoughts.

I jerked my head to the left and noticed the eyes were brighter and larger. The whites were now yellowed with extreme age, a rusty brownish red in the irises. I clambered to my feet and hunched over, my back aching. I opened my mouth to call for Draco but something seemed to wire my mouth shut.

Out of the corner of my eye, something black flew out of the bushes and grabbed me awkwardly, dragging me towards the darkest part of the woods. I fought and tried to get away, though my efforts were meaningless. This man was twice the size of an average sized human being, and probably five times as strong. I could hear the faint sounds of Draco's calls for me in the distance. Tears of hysteria streamed down my face as I reached up and slammed the man as hard as I could in the groin with my foot. He howled in pain and loosened his grip on me just enough where I was able to slip through. I ran through the thick woods, blinded by tears. My mouth seemed to be unbound from it's previously closed state.

"Draco!" I screamed, following the sound of his voice.

"Hermione!" I heard him calling me, voice long and drawn out to be heard further in the deep woods. I managed to find the clearing and sped my way down where Draco saw me and rushed forward.

"There's something out there!" I yelled. I'd never been so hot, sick and exhausted in all my life. I paused and retched in the grass beside us. Draco's eyes widened, seeming to know something more than I did.

"Get in the car, now!" Draco raced around the door to let me in.

I fumbled into the passenger's side of the SUV when a low thud and crash came from all around us. I yelped and turned, seeing Draco's face pressed against the glass, slowly sliding down. His face was full of pain. Numb with fear, I tried to unlock the door but it would not budge. A shadowed figure slid gracefully around the edge and opened the door. A bulky man with large arms and chest slid into the drivers seat next to me, smiling as though I'd expected his arrival.

"Hello Hermione," he smiled silkily, turning the engine and revving it. I stared at him, my nerves twitched and misfired, my brain going into mush from the adrenaline. "We've never met before, I'm Titus...you've met my brother Ronan...he's going to be so pleased to see you later." He grinned.

I yelled again, finally able to move my limbs. I tried clawing at the perfect leather interior of the car door, praying that would release some kind of lock. I could see Draco's body huddled beside the car, he was out cold. I wanted nothing more than to be with him, to have this nightmare be over and have him holding my hand, singing that sweet lullaby. Why did I ask to come here? What was I thinking? Titus' large hands covered mine. The instant his hands touched me I felt the feverish feeling return. I was enveloped in a massive stroke of fire, my back slammed into the seat as I swallowed and tried not to scream. Titus' laugh overpowered any one of my screams. He backed out of the grassy area and sped towards the highway. My brain was going to explode, tears of fear and pain fell down my cheeks as my head lulled every which way that he drove or made a sharp turn. It was as though the will had been taken out of me and all that was left was an illness...a sick that I couldn't possibly overcome.

* * *

The first thing I could hear when I regained consciousness was the dripping of water from a faucet. Even that was enough to make my head ache. I moaned softly and opened my eyes, waiting for the surroundings to come into focus. A tear slipped down my cheek as I tried to cushion my throbbing head with my arms but nothing helped. I heard something clang and a light shone brightly in my eyes. I moaned again and tried to look away but a figure stepped in its path. I opened them again and saw Titus with his brother coming into the room.

"It's about time you woke up for us sweetheart," he cooed and unhooked my arms. I fell to the floor and coughed violently. Titus and Ronan laughed, Ronan's big boot came up and lifted my chin to meet his eyes from my position on the ground.

"You're much prettier than I thought…I could see why our precious Draco took a fancy to you."

My heart ached at the sound of his name. I hoped he was okay, and that nothing had happened to him. I rubbed my wrists where they were chaffed by the cuffs around them. My eyes settled on the two men in front of me. They were both large, there wasn't a question about that, but now that I was in a lit area, they weren't as massive as I once perceived. Titus had platinum blond hair in a crew cut. Ronan was the bigger of the two, with deep amber eyes and brown hair that flowed down to the middle of his back. He had the top half in a knot in the back of his head. I could taste the bitterniss of my blood on my lips as I looked up at them, sweaty and blinking despite the cold.

Ronan laughed. "Are you still not feeling well? Perhaps we could take some pity on you and kill you now."

My eyes widened. Titus put a hand on his brother's arm. "No Ronan…we must wait for the right time. Then she is yours to do with what you please." This seemed to make Ronan glow with pleasure. He squatted down by me and I tried to crawl away from him, still coughing hard.

"Perhaps a little vampirism is in order? My veins do not run of venom, however I wouldn't mind spilling a little of yours." He extended his hand and touched my shoulder, stroking me. I felt sick to my stomach and yanked away from him, feeling hotter than ever. My head and insides felt like they were going to burst into flames as I wretched and collapsed on the ground and wished someone or something would come and kill me.

"I've never seen one get as sick as this Ronan." Titus frowned. "Perhaps we should tell the Elders…"

"No." Ronan's hand raised to stop Titus from speaking as he looked at me, lifting my curtain of hair to see my pale and clammy complexion. "We just need to wait for the right time brother. Be patient."

"If she doesn't die at our own hand -" he began again but like the other time, Ronan's large hand came up to quiet him. Titus seemed to give up and went to take a seat in the back where I was previously held captive. I shook violently from illness and rage, attempting to hit Ronan in the groin once again. I knew I had little to no chance of survival with these two men, but I had to try. Ronan's large hand came down and grabbed my face. I cried in pain and shock, his movements were hard and fluid, similar to Draco's. I gasped and winced as he squeezed, my hand squeezing his wrist. "You don't want to try that, little girl. I'll break your neck easier than a chicken."

Suddenly, Ronan's hands flew away from my face as I crawled away and heard a large crash and the sound of glass smashing. I glanced up and saw Draco's form burst through an overhead window and landed gracefully on his feet, growling and upper lip curled towards my captors. The drop couldn't have been less than thirty feet above us.

Ronan grinned sarcastically and clapped, sauntering back through the shadows to approach Draco. "Bravo Draco, bravo. Honestly, I didn't think you were going to make it."


	5. Solace

The air was completely still.

I cowered in the corner as much as I could, watching Ronan and Draco circle one another. Their eyes never left each other's gaze, and didn't once showing a moment's hesitation or fear. I heard a soft growl coming from their throats, like lions ready to pounce.

"What do you want with her Ronan? She's just a young girl." Draco asked softly but all the more intimidating. This tone was one he'd never used with me before.

Ronan smiled sinuously. "She brought me you, didn't she?"

"It's been years." He rolled his eyes, almost bored. "Can't your generations let it go? We do not have to live through their ridiculous vendettas! Be free from it!"

Ronan's eyes grew red with rage. "Some of us aren't as lucky to become this breed by such as filthy animals."

I couldn't see his face, but I could tell Draco was stung by this. "Be that as it may," he continued, tone dangerously low, "I wish no harm on you or the Elders. I will do whatever is expected of me, just let the girl go. You brought her here to lure me in...then so be it."

"No!" I cried, voice cracking. Three pairs of dark eyes rested on me and I felt as though I could barely stand with the weight of their gaze. Draco smiled softly, trying to give me a reassuring look but it didn't help. I stumbled to my feet and watched the two brothers smile mockingly, as though I were a mouse standing up to an angry elephant.

"Is there something you'd like to add, precious?" Ronan smiled widely, taking a step towards me. Draco's hand wrapped around my arm and pulled me behind him before I had a chance to react.

"Hurt her," he snarled softly, "and the deal is off Ronan. I can imagine how upset your father would be. Dear Ronan...no longer the favorite in the little circle." I saw his cheekbones curve into a smile. "Such a shame."

Titus said nothing, but his eyes broke from Draco's and focused on something behind him. Draco ripped his head around. Before I realized what was happening, I was snatched from Draco and held firm by Titus' strong arms. I shouted and flailed but did not make a difference. I think my miniscule way of fighting amused him even more. I felt even warmer than ever with his iron-clad grip on me. I panted and swallowed hard, feeling dizzy. Draco lunged for Ronan angrily.

"You kill me and the girl dies Draco! Remember that!" He called. Draco clenched his jaw and fists together, eyes black as night with cold, hard fury.

"That's it." Ronan smiled, pleased. "Just calm down and we'll get to the bottom of this."

Draco was losing patience. "What do you WANT?" He demanded.

Ronan frowned. "I don't think you should speak to me like that Draco. Titus...why don't you give Draco a little dose of what would happen should he speak to us the wrong way again?" Ronan asked, his voice as slow and sweet as honey. Titus grinned and twisted my elbow. I heard something pop and pain rushed to the spot like wildfire. I gasped and screamed.

"I'll run you through with a knife!" Draco roared at Titus, charging for him. Ronan grabbed his jacket but Draco slipped out of it gracefully and rushed forward. Ronan caught up with him and slipped an arm forcefully around his waist, slamming Draco into the concrete floor. Draco blinked for a second and snarled, hissing louder than before and rose to his feet. Ronan and Titus both looked completely dumbfounded. Draco charged at him again, ramming him against the wall as pebbles and dust pillowed out like smoke.

"You hurt her." He snarled, absolutely seething with anger as I struggled. "Didn't your mother teach you not to hit a woman?"

Ronan's eyes looked dull before he flared up again. In milliseconds, Draco was flying backwards into a stack of boxes on the opposite end of the huge warehouse. I yelled and fought harder, sensing something big was about to happen. Ronan grabbed Draco's bent body and pressed him against the wall by his throat. "You put your hands on me again and I'll kill her while you watch, filth. You'd do that anyway, right?"

Draco coughed and spluttered, his face becoming dim. His feet were several inches off the ground. Ronan smirked, letting go of his neck and letting Draco fall to the floor, coughing and gagging. Ronan turned his back to Draco and made his way towards me. I had been watching Draco this entire time, willing him to defeat these two monsters. Draco made another charge at Ronan and tackled him to the ground, punching his jaw with bone-shattering force. Ronan howled as Titus let me go and ran out the door.

I ran to them and tugged on Draco's shirt. "Draco! Let's go!"

"Not until I finish him." He growled, pulling me off. I stumbled backwards, shocked at his roughness. I finally realized that as much as he had been kind and gentle with me, he was still first and foremost, a vampire. He'd always act on his instincts, always seek revenge no matter the cost.

A guttural cry escaped Draco's mouth at the moment he clashed into Ronan. "You have no reason to live anymore!" He roared, attacking his face with his fists again. The doors wrenched open and five more men rushed into the warehouse. It took all of them to pull Draco off of Ronan.

Ronan grunted angrily, spitting out blood and teeth from his mouth onto the floor next to him. "Destroy him."

"No!" I didn't know what I expected myself to do, but I couldn't just sit there. I met Draco's eyes and something in his expression made me pause. He knew I didn't belong there or involved in this centuries long vendetta. His lips curved into a small smile as though he was saying _really Hermione? What were you expecting to do there?_

Crying softly, I took a step back as metal links were wrapped around his arms and pulled outwards as if he were some wild animal. My heart fell into the depths of my stomach as they brandished whips and sticks. I booked it over to him and held his neck.

"Hermione," he began but I didn't let him finish.

"I can't let them do this to you." I didn't realize how shaky my voice was when I didn't have to project it.

"Hurry up," one of the men sighed impatiently. "We haven't got all day!"

Draco turned his face into my neck and his cold lips pressed lightly against my ear. "Don't worry Hermione…they haven't seen what I can do."

I shivered at his words, enjoying the feel of his cold body against my flushed skin. Ronan grabbed my arm and yanked me away from them and immediately began their beating. Draco groaned and screamed as I sobbed, wrenching my eyes closed and covered my ears.

Their beating felt like hours and after a while, I didn't hear Draco's shouts anymore. I couldn't bear to open my eyes. I was too scared to see his body on the concrete, bloodied and still. _Wait. I'm not tuning them out – they really did stop. No. This isn't happening. Not tonight._

I finally gathered the courage to open my eyes and saw him on his feet again, pulling the men holding his chains towards him. He swung them around and let go, causing them both to smash right through the wall. I stared in amazement, unable to believe what I was seeing.

The man beating him stared incredulously as Draco barreled to him, opening his arm wide and clotheslined him, knocking him unconscious immediately. Ronan yelled in anger at this sudden change of events. Draco hissed and charged him, sinking his teeth into his neck. Ronan shouted in pain and fell to his knees, limbs outstretched and rigid. Draco ripped away from him forcefully, his mouth covered with blood. I shivered and backed up slowly, never seeing him so vicious. His eyes darted to Titus, whose eyes widened and began to back up just as I had done. Draco spat blood to the side and continued to take long strides towards him.

"You hurt my family, I hurt yours Titus. Isn't that how it goes?" He asked softly, eyes black. Titus spluttered and gasped, he'd obviously not been as merciless towards Draco as Ronan and his followers had been. For an instant, I felt bad for him. Draco wiped his mouth on his sleeve, barring his teeth at his next victim. "Lucky for you, I have enough venom still in me to kill you. I don't think your family would've been so kind to me."

Titus stammered inaudibly, unable to rip his eyes away from Draco's teeth after seeing what they did to his brother.

"Draco…" I began, standing with my arm cradled in my other hand. "Let's just go."

He whirled around and looked at me incredulously. For a split second, I was uncertain if he recognized me. His eyes softened immediately once he saw me standing there. I'm sure I looked like shit, but that was the least of my worries at the moment. Glenn probably had called every FBI agent in Washington to come looking for me.

"I can't let him go after he did this to you." He whispered, coming over and taking my elbow in his hands.

I winced but let him examine it. "I think it's just a dislocation, but I could be wrong. I've never broken a bone before."

Titus took this moment to flee, bursting through the doors and making a fast exit. Draco watched him go, the fight in him now gone. "He won't bother us anymore," He said, pulling an arm around my waist and walking me outside. "Stand here." He instructed and walked over to the SUV, examining it. "Aha," he breathed, pulling the tracking device from inside the frame near the tire and wiggling it in between his fingers. "This…is how they found us." He threw it hard, it flashed plastic and into a river a ways down. I let go of the breath I didn't realize I'd been holding and smiled shakily.

"Let's get you to a doctor." He said softly, helping me into the passenger seat and leaned over me to fasten my seatbelt for me. I closed my eyes and breathed in his sweet scent, thankful he was okay.

When the adrenaline died down, I realized I had questions. Waiting until we were far enough away from the building, I turned my head and looked at him. His eyes were fixed on the road, jaw slightly tight.

There wasn't a scratch on him. Not that I'd been expecting any, but it was still strange to see him look so perfect after the beating he'd just endured.

"Draco?" I asked softly, hoping he would answer me.

"Mm?" His face turned to mine, his eyes a beautiful sky blue. He seemed calm enough.

"When you said they, Titus and them, wouldn't bother us anymore, what does that mean?" I asked timidly.

He chuckled and took my hand, stroking it gently. "It means that despite their massive sizes, they're still human. Sort of."

When I looked at him completely puzzled, he sighed.

"Their family has been a proverbial thorn in the vampire's side for centuries. It's been said that this family whom attacked us, they were descendants of a vampire family in Ireland. When I tried to find their names, I didn't find anything, everything was destroyed. When they migrated here, they did not control their cravings the way I do. As you can imagine, this made it very easy for them to create more of their kind. Like myself, they still have some of their human nature in them and they understood how dangerous it has been for them to feed so openly and often. All they wanted was to be accepted by their once familiar race, so they denied themselves what they needed. They began to grow ravenous and then, extremely weak."

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. "So they starved themselves on purpose?"

He nodded. "Some were able to reproduce before they became too weak. Slowly the vampiric gene became recessive. Since no one was biting to create more of their kind, they slowly faded out."

"Self-induced genocide," I breathed, stunned they would commit such a horrendous act against themselves to be accepted.

Draco nodded gravely. "About three years ago, a new vampire appeared." He said softly. I knew who he was referring to by the way his jaw tightened. This was the creature that fed on animals, turning them into vampires and leashing their wrath on innocent people such as Draco.

"The family was outraged for obvious reasons. After their families had killed themselves to keep this out of the States, something had just come from the clear blue and began undoing every knot they'd ever tied. They managed to hunt it down, but it was too late, the devastation of this was apparent to everyone, including myself after I was turned."

"But they should realize that it's not your fault!" I cried. "Why are they trying to hurt you?!"

"Because I'm the enemy Hermione. I am extremely dangerous. I'm surprised I have been able to resist you, even at my strongest moments. I could strike at any second, therefore I'm posed as a threat which I understand completely. They want to seek those who were bitten so they do not continue the legacy they worked so hard to defeat. They may seem like bad people to you now, but only because you were with a vampire. They only do the things they do to get a rise out of our kind, to lure us in. They have been watching me Hermione, and I was a fool not to realize it. They understood that you were in danger, that I could possibly bite you and turn you into what they're trying to diminish and that wasn't a risk they could take."

I'd been so engrossed by Draco's story that I didn't realize we were pulling into the hospital. He came around my side and opened the door for me, smiling. "Shall I be a prince and carry you in?"

I paled. "No, please don't." I didn't want to be the center of attention any more than I had to be after the night I'd had. I braced myself and swallowed, readying myself for the questions I didn't want to answer.

* * *

Never in my life did I think I would die in pain.

Now, lying on this table with three nurses holding me down while a doctor tried to pop my elbow back in, I probably should rethink that.

I couldn't remember anything after walking into the hospital with Draco. I remember feeling weak and disoriented as the fever took hold again, and I remembered fainting. Now, I could see Draco from of the corner of my eye but I couldn't read his expression.

His eyes seemed worried, but they also seemed angry. He had his left arm across his chest, arm tucked underneath the pit of his right. His right hand covered his mouth. Even through my pain and agony, I couldn't underestimate the power he had over me. My cries subsided as I watched him, not embarrassed or worried that he'd think I was insane at all - I thought maybe he'd known that all along. His eyes twinkled as a small encouraging smile hid behind his pale hand. I was sure no one else would be able to tell it was there, but I could. Mercifully, the doctor was able to thrust my elbow back into the socket. The relief was instantaneous. I sighed deeply and was given a small dose of morphine for a cracked rib and was delivered to a recovery room to rest.

I was drifting in and out of consciousness when I thought I heard Draco enter the room. He'd been so quiet that I couldn't be sure. Once I felt his hand on mine, I knew it was him. I tried opening my eyes, but they felt as though sandbags were tied to my lashes. I heard the familiar humming of Draco's song to me and I relaxed. I didn't know how long I was out for, but when I finally opened my eyes, the room was dark again. It couldn't still be the same night could it? A sharp pain in my elbow caused me to moan softly, then my uncle fluttered into the room.

"Oh Hermione…thank goodness you're awake. How are you feeling honey?" He doted, smoothing my hair away from my face. I tried sitting up but the pain from my side deemed it too difficult. "Not too good then huh?" He chuckled kindly and took the seat next to my bed.

"How'd…" I began, but decided not to say anything further. Being the paranoid uncle Glenn already was, and knowing that this accident didn't exactly help my case, I didn't want to give him anything to fuel the fire.

"The doctor said you took a pretty hard tumble. What were you doing out in that forest by yourself? It's so dangerous, especially with what's going on right now. Thank God you weren't more seriously hurt." Glenn sighed, his eyes were full of worry. "I've already contacted your parents. Your mother is on her way down here."

He didn't mention my father. I looked away and bit my lower lip, wishing Draco was there with me. I knew he was okay since I heard him singing to me, but for some reason that didn't ease my fears. I was afraid he'd gone back to Ronan and Titus' place, knowing that angry look in his eyes as the doctor tried to set my elbow back in place. I already knew that look was an angered, spiteful look.

"Was there anyone else in the room besides you so far?" I asked hopefully. I had a sneaking suspicion before he'd answered, but my disappointment still flared when he shook his head, looking puzzled.

"Were you expecting someone?" His eyebrow rose expectantly.

"Uh, no…I was just wondering…if anyone had come see me…" I tried to make myself look pathetic, which wasn't hard considering my almost insane need for Draco to be here at that moment. Glenn smiled and tucked some hair behind my ear.

"You've been asleep for almost fifteen hours. I'm sure if someone had come visit, you just wouldn't have known it." His voice was soothing, and for a moment I was almost fooled. I merely nodded and leaned against the pillows once more. He scooted his chair in towards my bed and took my hand gently. After getting used to Draco's chilled temperature, the warm against warm was uncomfortable. "I just need to know one more then Hermione, then you can rest," he prodded gently. "When you were brought in, they said that you were with a man…"

My heard began to tighten. I knew where this was going and I wasn't ready for that to happen yet. I swallowed and blinked, trying to look confused. "I was?"

He looked more concerned then. "Yes…they said he looked familiar…someone said they'd seen him on television or something." He laughed softly. "But in this small town, anyone mysterious is mistaken for a movie star."

"Mysterious?" I asked.

Glenn nodded. "They said he was very concerned about your safety. Said he wouldn't leave your side until he knew you were sleeping then he just took off. No one knows who he was or anything, they said he was like your guardian angel."

My heart did a little flip-flop as he told me. I just shrugged my shoulders and closed my eyes, hoping he'd get the fact that I was tired. Luckily, he did.

"Okay Hermione, I'm going to head out so I can get some sleep before my shift. Call me on my cell if you need anything." He kissed my forehead and headed out of the room, leaving me to drift off and dream of my guardian angel.

* * *

The next morning was a blur of nurses and doctors coming in to check on me. I moaned and cried when they changed the pressure of the bandages of my ribs, they were still incredibly tender. When they pulled the covers back to my chest and left, I sighed and wiped the almost shed tears from my eyes. My attention was turned back to the television, where I was notified that more people had been killed in this massive epidemic. A tremor of fear escaped me. What if Draco had gone to stop it himself? Surely he couldn't do it on his own, did he have accomplices?

My eyes narrowed as I thought harder about this idea. There was a soft knock on the door frame and I didn't even hear it at first. I then heard that familiar chuckle and my head whipped around, smiling like a fool I'm sure, but I didn't care. I was so happy to see him standing there, safe and sound.

"May I come in?" He asked, in that wonderfully sweet tone of voice.

"Sure," I smiled again and sat up a little bit in bed. "I was wondering where you went off to."

"Well you know, a hospital isn't exactly the best place for a vampire to be." His eyes twinkled with amusement as he watched me, taking the seat Glenn had the night before. "Lots of car accidents...blood. That kind of thing."

I smiled. "Okay, touche. But really, I was worried about you," I admitted, sliding the thin blanket between my fingers casually.

Draco smirked and a cold finger hooked under my chin, bringing my eyes up to look at him. "Hermione. I don't know how many times I must tell you but...I'm a vampire."

I scowled. "I know."

"Meaning I think you should be worried about other people around me, rather than just me. I'm more of a threat that I think you realize...and more than I've brought on to you. For some reason I just can't get angry with you." He smiled, amused. His finger still hooked underneath my jaw.

I swallowed hard and smiled uneasily. "If you stick around long enough I'm sure I'll find something."

His laugh was real now, bellowing in the room. "You're so confident in your ways to get under my skin." His finger had released my chin, it felt tingly where he touched. I rubbed it discreetly then watched his pale face.

"They said that you didn't leave me until I was okay." I said softly, without pretense this time. "I remember seeing you there when they were putting my elbow back in place...they said you were mysterious."

He scoffed. "Mysterious. I was a mess. I'm sure they thought I was your hysterical father or something." He laughed, amused. "Really though, the break looked worse in the light, and I was worried you'd lose your arm from lack of blood flow. I wanted to make sure they got it in right. I was angry with them for causing you pain, even though I knew they couldn't help it. I was also angry with Ronan and Titus doing this to you in the first place."

That explained the angry glint in his eye.

"So where did you go when I was asleep?"

"I went and did some research." He explained. "I found it strange how your fever seemed to get worse when around the brothers. Especially when either of them touched you. That's something I've never encountered with the vampire world as of yet."

I smiled softly. "You're not exactly a veteran."

"Well yes of course." He waved this as unimportant. "But in any case, I had to see what that was about."

"You couldn't just go to the library...could you?" I felt foolish for asking this question. He chuckled and shook his head, bemused by me, I was sure.

"Yes Hermione," He nodded. "_Strange Vampire Questions_ is right next to the _Out of your Mind_ and _Got to be Kidding_ sections."

My interest continued to peak despite my scowl. He decided not to go further with this. "Anyway, I think you'll be okay for now. As long as you don't find any more trouble, which I'm sure is no problem for you."

"Course," I answered curtly.

"Good." He rose to his feet. "I think I'll go and let you rest now."

I tugged at his sleeve. "Please don't leave me here, I'm bored out of my mind and I think I deserve a right to know why I got all hot and bothered while those two trolls were around me. Come on Draco!" I begged. My words all spilled out of my mouth at once, and I immediately regretted it coming out like that. He just smiled however, and smoothly took a seat back where he was in one motion.

"Bored and hot and bothered mm? Interesting combination."

I ignored him. "Please?"

He sighed and stuck his hands in his pockets, blowing a few stray strands of light blonde hair from his eyes. "The first couple days I thought you were just sick...I remember that vividly as being a part of human life. However, I didn't understand why you seemed to yo-yo back and forth between well and nearly on your death bed. One night, I was sitting in my car thinking outside your house and I saw some movement in the bushes. I wasn't sure what it was, so I kept a close eye. I saw Titus sneaking around your window. I was just about to get into the car when I saw Kaleb knock on the door and you didn't answer. I knew that was my chance to get Titus away from you, so I grabbed Caleb and ran him into the woods with me. Titus saw us and ran after us, thinking he could stop me from biting him. I didn't want to kill him Hermione. As much as I loathed him, I knew it was against your wishes, but this time I didn't have a choice. I had to keep them away from you or...they would have killed you there in your bed." He shuddered.

My face grew pale and my palms felt clammy with shock. "But...I thought they were there to protect humans from vampires? Aren't they like the advocates for humans?"

"Yes they are...for humans who do not know any better. That haven't come into contact with our kind. I'm sorry I put you at risk that night at the concert Hermione. I know you would have not been in danger had it not been for me. I talked to you out of complete selfishness and now you obviously know too much about our kind and what's going on in the city. They can't allow you be alive with this much information." He touched my temple affectionately while I stared in horror.

"They were going to kill me?"

He nodded solemnly.

"And you saved me?"

He smiled softly, shrugging in a 'yeah, guess I did' way. "C'mere." I said. Puzzled, he walked forward. I took his face in my hands, causing his lips to protrude outward and his eyebrows furrowed in deeper confusion. If I wasn't so grateful he'd saved my life, I would've found this comical look on a vampire very amusing.

"Thank you." I said softly.

With my heart pounding, I pulled his face in for a kiss. It was sweeter than I ever could've imagined. I could feel his body relax against mine, our lips blending in perfect unison, as if they were made for one another. His cold hands touched my flushed cheeks, my jaw, wound in my hair.

He would always be my guardian angel.

* * *

Who would have thought in a million years that I would be kissing a rockstar turned vampire?

I know for a fact that in my boring life, there wouldn't have been a prayer. Now sitting with him on the bed with me while my uncle was at work, it seemed that this was the most natural thing in the world. I fit in his arms like those best friend necklaces I had as a kid, the annoyingly metallic shiny gold heart pendant zigzagged down the middle with 'Best' and 'Friend' on either side. They both looked broken until the two of them met, creating the whole. That's what being with Draco is like for me now, despite my best efforts in the beginning to stop it. I loved being with him, I felt happier than I ever felt in my life when around him.

He was perfect.

"I hate math." I sighed in frustration as I tossed my pencil at the book. It made a nasty scribble and I sighed, sitting back up again to erase it. The best part of being home was getting uninterrupted time with Draco; the bad news was tackling the one week's worth of homework assignments I'd missed when admitted to the hospital.

Draco was sitting next to me on my bed, legs crossed at the ankles and his upper body leaned against the headboard. I sat cross-legged next to him, a few inches forward and bent over my homework like a willow tree. He laughed softly and tugged on my hair. "Don't work yourself too hard Hermione...I don't want to have to carry back through those ER doors." His eyes widened dramatically. "Or worse, the psych ward."

I rolled my eyes and smirked, sticking my tongue out at him playfully. "Very funny."

He chuckled. "You'd be the talk of the town...dating a vampire and goes crazy over something as simple as a math assignment. You might need to recheck your priorities."

My heart still fluttered happily when I heard him associate 'dating' with me. I leaned back and he wrapped his arms around me, kissing my temple. "What can I say? Then I'd just be certifiably crazy about you."

He laughed dryly. "Oh, har har. You need some new material."

"Oh? Well maybe you need to give me some new material?" I raised my lips to his chin, leaving a trail of kisses along his jaw and down to his throat. I heard a soft sigh issue from him, the rumble in his throat against my lips made me giggle. He seemed too off in his own trance to ask me why I was laughing. I suppose he was so used to me giggling from excitement over every little thing we did together that it didn't even register.

I let my closed book slide to the floor as I gently straddled his waist. I loved the softness of him, how he always felt like a squishy cold pillow I could always lay on. His icy hands reached under my shirt, smoothing against my skin. I shivered and pressed my lips to his. His hands removed themselves from my sides and his arms wrapped around me, melding me against him.

He pulled away from the kiss slightly when I began to open my mouth expectantly. I leaned back and his eyes met mine. They looked worried. "You know we can't." He said softly, hands resting on my thighs..

"Can't what?"

"Be intimate." He swallowed, his anxious eyes searching my face for any emotion. "I don't want to get crazy and hurt you."

"I thought I was just kissing you?" I asked, cocking my head in confusion. He looked flustered. I smiled and leaned down to peck him on the cheek quickly then slid off of him. I could see his relief when I did so. He pulled me close and stroked my hair.

"It's not that I don't want you...I do. Every much so...so bad that it hurts but I don't want anything to happen."

"Shhh," I put my fingers to his lips. "Don't worry about it. I understand."

"You're not mad?" He asked incredulously.

I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my chin on his chest. "Right now I'm happy just like this." His lips pressed against my temple and I closed my eyes, sighing deeply. The thought of being with him for decades was intensely wonderful.

I was trying to be careful about my feelings for Draco, but the more I thought about him, the harder I fell, and the more my heart went crazy when he gave me a smile or touched anywhere on my body. It was like constant euphoria that I never wanted to let go of.

"Are you excited about going back to school?" Draco asked, ending my moment of bliss.

I groaned. "No. Now that I have you to play with, why would I want to go to school?"

"You know that I am still a working man." He noted, running his fingers through my hair. I rose up and down slightly when he took a breath to speak. "I need to make a living somehow, right?"

"Do you have to go?" I asked, looking up at him. "Normal life is going to be so boring." I sighed sadly, watching his beautiful features and I hoped I'd see a glimmer of hope that he'd stay here. "Wouldn't it be much more fun if you could play Davy Crockett in the woods and hang out with me all day?" I tried to make my voice sound jealous, hoping he'd be intrigued. He wasn't fooled for an instant.

He smiled understandingly at me and smoothed my cheek. "Sweet Hermione...I'm not stupid."

"I didn't say that."

He grinned, but there was a slight grimace behind it. I was confused. "I know you didn't. Please don't think that I'd be tempted by your offer. While the part of being with you all day is completely tempting, the hunting in the woods? Not so much. I don't think I want to end up like Davy Crockett. He was killed in the Alamos."

"But he was one of the last fighters," I interjected. "He was one of the best out there."

Draco's eyes twinkled as he reached down and closed the US History book I'd cracked open earlier. "I think," he whispered, "you need to close this." His hand gently guided my mouth to his once more.

* * *

"Hey Hermione! You're still alive?! Where have you been?"

"I've heard you were attacked by that thing!"

"Wow! So you really do have your other leg!"

I wasn't sure where students had gotten all of this information, but suddenly as the day grew on, I began to get dirty looks thrown at me. Completely baffled, I went about my business, trying to act as normal as I knew how. Someone stopped me in the hall and nearly spat at me. "Murderer."

"What?" I spluttered, taken aback.

"Kaleb. You killed him. He didn't want anything to do with you so you just decided to take his life!"

I stared in horror at the idea that more than one person had the idea that I would do this to Kaleb. I tried to recognize this girl, strawberry blonde hair and brown eyes. She had a slight dusting of freckles along her nose and cheekbones. I suddenly remembered her. She sat behind Kaleb and I in Government. She'd told me once how distraught Kaleb was when I'd left him to move to California with my parents, then how he ignored his other 'friends' when I'd returned. I was sure at that moment she was jealous of me, though I didn't understand why. I backed up slowly as she walked forward, continuing to spit accusations in my face. The rims of her eyes were watery with rage and sadness.

"I didn't kill him! He forced himself onto me!" I shouted, clutching the shoulder of my bag as if it were a lifeline.

She paused in her tracks. "What?"

"He's always been that way." I said softly, feeling my own eyes water with embarrassment. I didn't want to announce to the world this humiliating secret. "He wanted what he wanted, when he wanted it. Everything else didn't matter, he was always taking and he got angry when I didn't have anything more to give." I said in a barely audible whisper. Students began to crowd around us, sensing tension.

Moments like these seemed to be a magnet to draw kids into the action so they'd be able to be the first to tell others afterward. "And that isn't why I wasn't in school. I WAS in school after that happened. Kaleb tried to talk to me but I didn't want to say anything to him so he stormed off. That was the last time I heard from him." I finished. I tried sounding brave, but on the inside I was trembling.

The girl suddenly started to laugh viciously. "Like we're going to believe that Hermione. You're nothing but a murdering slut!" She spat, her fists clenched together in rage. Tears spilled from my eyes now, never having to handle this kind of conflict. The group began to talk amongst each other behind their hands, some not even having the decency to do that. I closed my eyes for a moment then pushed my way through the crowd and ran to the student parking lot.

I saw Draco leaning against his black SUV. I sniffed loudly as tears blocked his beautiful face from my visions. He grinned and uncrossed his arms, coming towards me. "Hey! I thought you'd like to be treated to lunch…" He began, but frowned when he saw my face coming towards him. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"I want to go home." I whispered softly. Draco grabbed my shoulders in his strong hands and held me there. I was tempted to try and break it but I knew I didn't have a chance.

"What happened sweetheart?" He asked soothingly. His blue eyes gently searching mine, lips parted with concern.

I relented. "Some girl thinks I killed Kaleb." I sniffed, replaying the moment in my head. "She thinks that I had something to do with it because I wouldn't sleep with him that night. She called me a murdering slut." I breathed.

His jaw went extremely rigid, and his grip tightened on me. I winced and gasped. "Ow! Draco!"

He looked at me and his expression changed into horror as he realized what he'd done. He pulled me into his cold chest and cradled my head in his hands. "I'm so sorry Hermione. I didn't mean to hurt you. I am just so angry at this girl I could kill her."

I froze and looked up at him in horror. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "That time I really did mean it figuratively."

Draco held me close to him and swayed gently. "Come on…I'll drive you home." He nodded and walked me to his car, buckling me in like he had when I'd dislocated my elbow. My head flopped against the window as I watched small droplets of rain hit the windshield. I sighed softly, wishing this wouldn't have happened or people would forget about it by tomorrow. I don't think I'll be able to show my face in school again.

Draco climbed into the drivers side and took me home, seeming to realize that I needed some time to think on my own. We pulled up on the edge of the curb and he walked me to the door. "Want me to come in?" He asked as I nodded, hanging up my coat and waiting for him to do the same. He walked me up to my room and gently helped me into bed, laying next to me. I turned into him and breathed in his scent deeply, comforted that he was still on my side no matter what others thought.

* * *

I didn't remember how it happened, but I'd somehow fallen asleep next to Draco on my bed. His presence was so comforting that even in the darkest of days, I'd be so unaware of my troubles that I'd drift off. My dreams were unsettling and not at all pleasant.

"Shhh," I heard Draco's voice soothe me, cradling my head close to him. I grasped his shirt with my fist so hard that my knuckles turned white. I was remembering what had happened in the last few months and I was overwhelmed beyond belief. "I've got you love." He breathed, pressing his lips against my hair, holding me tight. "It was just a bad dream," he continued as if he knew what I was in such hysterics about. "They aren't going to find you here. You're safe."

When I was finally able to breathe normally, I looked up at him and his green eyes met mine, soft and gentle. "There's my favorite pair of brown eyes." He smiled tenderly at me, wiping my leftover tears away with his thumb.

I watched him in complete amazement, unable to believe I'd gotten so lucky. I turned my face back into his chest and sighed, the troubles of the day beginning to fade away. "Thank you. I really don't deserve this."

Draco sighed, sounding troubled.

"What's the matter?" I asked him, curious.

"I don't feel like I deserve you, Hermione. You're human and I'm not. Everything about me is so dangerous that I worry about hurting you every second. If I did something to you I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I just can't imagine a world without you, yet I feel like I'm dragging you down. I've been following you a lot more than I think you realize." He began. My heart flew in my stomach. Was he telling me he wanted to leave? After all of this? "I've been following you almost everywhere you've gone since the concert. I know you dream of getting married and having children of your own. I'm not that person you can do that with."

I was completely shocked. "How can you say all of that after we've gone through? Do you have any idea how much I depend on you? How much I need you in my life? I wanted to get married and have kids, yes. But that was before I got to know you Draco. Before all of this started and before I needed you more than anyone else. I'm willing to give that up."

He sighed again. "I don't want you to have to give up anything. I don't think you realize what you're saying Hermione. Life with me isn't easy. It's rough and certainly not peril less."

"Newsflash Draco; life is never going to be easy. There's going to be things that happen in life that we don't want to happen or don't have a choice over, but that doesn't mean you shut everyone out that wants to be in your life. You said you wanted me well now you have me. Forever."

His eyes bore into mine. "You shouldn't give up your life-"

"YOU are my life." I said fiercely, I tried to make my eyes as passionate as I could muster, I wanted to make him see what I'd been fighting all along. Fate had brought us together and I wasn't going to let it go. Not now, or ever. When he still wasn't sure, I continued to stare at him. "Remember what you told me when I wanted you to leave me alone? You said that you were too involved to walk away. Well guess what? You stayed Draco and I'm just as much involved. You always told me how much you could trust me with your secrets and I've held my side of that bargain. Now it's my turn to play."

He looked completely thrown off guard by my words, and I was glad. "So why don't you just stop all of this safety mumbo jumbo and tell me how you really feel! Let me see inside your heart Draco."

His eyes seemed to grow moist in the moonlight, though I wasn't sure if vampires could even cry. "If you saw inside my heart Hermione," his voice shook with emotion. "you'd snap in two."

I turned in his arms and took his face between my hands. His eyes immediately closed and he sighed softly. "That may be so," I began slowly, my voice soft. "But I know you'd be there to put me back together...and that's what I'm fighting for." I leaned in and kissed his lips gently. I could feel him hesitate underneath me, but slowly responded. We finally broke apart and I smiled, sliding down him into my previous position.

The beginnings of his singing voice began in the depths of his chest, I could feel the soft humming of his chest and eventually the glorious notes of his voice filled my ears sweetly. I didn't recognize the song, but at that moment I didn't care. I just closed my eyes and let the precious sound of his music fill me up to the brim.

_Lost in the darkness, hoping for a sign,  
Instead there is only silence,  
Can't you hear my screams?  
Never stop hoping,  
Need to know where you are.  
But one thing's for sure,  
You're always in my heart._

I'll find you somewhere,  
I'll keep on trying...until my dying day.  
I just need to know whatever has happened,  
The truth will free my soul.

Lost in the darkness, try to find your way home.  
I want to embrace you and never let you go.  
Almost hope you're in heaven so no one can hurt your soul,  
Living in agony 'cause I just do not know...  
Where you are.

I'll find you somewhere,  
I'll keep on trying until my dying day.  
I just need to know whatever has happened,  
The truth will free my soul.

* * *

**Draco's POV**  
She didn't understand what she was up against. I tried my best to tell her to stay away, but how could I tell her to do something I myself knew to be impossible? There wasn't a chance that I could stay away from her, in turn, she couldn't stay away from me. This wasn't good, this wasn't the type of destiny I'd thought of when I was bitten. My dreams and hopes were taken away from me...I didn't have the right to do the same to her. She was too beautiful, too innocent...too pure to be with a monster like me. I sang her a lullaby to ease her fears, in hopes that maybe she'd drift off to sleep again. My thoughts were right. I watched her drift off into a tranquil slumber, I knew she was in a deep enough rest for an easy departure. I slid myself away from her and straightened up, turning around to take one last look at the one person who understood me. This would break her heart and it killed me to do this but as much as she told me she wanted to give everything for a life with a vampire, I couldn't let her.

She would be wounded; angry for what I'd done to her but eventually I knew she would heal. It'd be a long process but this was the only way I knew how to show her how much I cared. I bent down to her and stroked her soft hair for the final time, trying to commit the scent of her shampoo to memory. I pressed my lips against her scalp gently. "I love you." I murmured. Standing straight, I hurried and exited to the window before she had a chance to even feel the breeze of my form gliding past her.


End file.
